Just One Yesterday
by Shitsuren69
Summary: GEN. AU for the end of the series. Rex makes a different call and prevents the Event from ever happening. Now all he has to do is get used to this strange new world he has created. Eventual family/friend fluff.
1. Of Wishes and Brothers

Hahaha… I have no idea what I'm doing, especially in a fandom that's pretty much dead. This was mildly inspired by the Fallout Boy's Song "Just One Yesterday." I say mildly, but really, who am I kidding?

Warnings for the entire story: AU and therefore OOCness. Eventual family/friendship fluff. Dark topics including but not limited to drugs, attempted suicide(s), abuse (especially emotional), angst, etc. Any and all romance will be one-sided or kept in the background. The focus of this story is not romance but family.

I don't own.

* * *

God Code.

What the hell does that even mean anyways?

It isn't that he's stupid, mind you. It's just… What the hell? A god? Him? Just what makes César even think that he would know what to do with that much power? Just what does everyone think to trust him with this? He's just a teenager and he remembers even less than that of an average child. Do they think that that makes him qualified to chose what would happen to the rest of the world? Really, adults these days…

He feels the power rush through him, hears the whispers of the nanites all around him. He stands at the top of the world and yet he does not gasp to breathe. Instead, the world seems to envelope him, as if welcoming him wherever he goes, whatever he does. But will it really welcome him if he does exactly as he wishes?

_Anything you want_… the nanites whispers in his ears.

"You'll regret it."

_Whatever you wish…_

"Fine."

* * *

The silence is deafening.

Except that isn't quite the truth. Because there is definitely other sounds all around him. Sounds. Normal sounds, he supposes. Is this what everyone hears? Because it's lonely. The machinery beeps and people dash about. There are shouts and chatters, but he can't quite make them out (or perhaps it's more that he doesn't want to make it out). So yes, there is noise. Just not the noise that he has grown so accustomed to. The whispers of nanites all around him.

Of course, there will never be any more nanites. At least not in the form that he knows them as. No, because his wish was simple: Make it so that the Event never took place. Meaning that the Nanite Project never happened. Meaning that there are no more EVOs. Meaning that he can finally have that normal life he has always been curious about.

Rex slowly opens his eyes. He is on a white bed with white curtains surrounding him. There are shouts and general mayhem going on outside of his small bubble of the curtain. A hospital then. He wiggles his fingers and toes, mentally going through a checklist to see exactly what he has damaged. When he can't locate any source of pain, he slowly sits up and is relieved to see that he's perfectly fine.

"… Did it work…?"

His barefoot hits the cold tile floor and he opens the curtains. Yup, he is right. A hospital.

"Rex! You're awake!" comes a voice that he does not recognize.

The teen turns to face a woman that he has never seen before. She has long blonde hair and a relieved smile. From the long lab coat that she wears, she must be some kind of a doctor. The nametag carefully sitting on the left side states that her name is "Rhodes."

"How are you feeling?" she asks as she pulls out a flashlight. She shines it in his eyes, watching carefully as she piles up questions after questions that Rex answers with ease.

"Okay, sounds like you'll be fine," she says finally with a satisfied nod. And with a bit more of a joking tone, she adds, "Jeesh, Rex. You scared us when they brought you in. Can you do an old doctor a favor and please wear a helmet?"

"Aw, you know me, doc!" Rex says with a light laugh. But the truth is that he doesn't know her and he highly doubts that she knows him either. No, the only doctor who knows him forward and backwards is Doctor Holiday, and she's not here. Perhaps that's a good sign. Perhaps it means that she's out doing something she loves with her sister that she loves. And Rex likes that very much for her.

She rolls her eyes at his response. "One of these days, Doctor Holiday is going to draw a line and refuse to admit you."

Oh? So Holiday is here? Rex can't help but to survey the room slowly to see if he can spot the familiar woman. No such luck. Holiday can't be a lab woman, because Rhodes just implied that she has power, which is weird but he supposes not everything can stay the same. Perhaps she's an administrator?

"She won't dare!"

"You never know." Doctor Rhodes glances over at the sound of the doors slamming open. "Just on time as always. I hope you don't mind, but I called your brother for you. I didn't want you to go home alone."

Rex feels his insides freeze. César is here? He holds his breath and lets it out slowly. No, no. His brother never betrayed him. That never happened. César is… He is just a normal big brother. There are no nanites, no research. The Event never happened and nothing ever blew up. Hell, Rex's parents should be alive as well. And doesn't that mean that he has a… a real family?

The doctor is giving him a pitying look, much to his confusion. What? What is it? Why is she giving him that look? As if she feels sorry for him? But why would she feel that way? He finally has his family! And sure, he is going to have to relearn everyone and everything, but he has a family! Isn't that a cause for a joyous celebration?

And the answers to the questions arrive in a flurry of righteous anger that is César.

"Rex!" César roars when he spots his younger brother. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

César marches over to Rex and grabs him by the shoulders. "Do you know what kind of trouble you brought us? We were this close, Rex! This close!" He holds up his forefinger and thumb, barely millimeters apart. "But because of your selfish need to show off, we've been set back for three months! I told you to stop hanging out with those… those freaks!"

Rex feels like he has been burnt. It feels as if someone has sucked out the air in the room and he is gasping to breath. César's mouth is drawn back in a snarl and there are flashes of anger in his eyes. It is odd. Rex has seen his older brother with many expressions but this kind of pure rage…? It is new to him as well.

"If it bothers you so much, then why'd you come pick me up?" Rex doesn't know why he snapped like that. He is hurt, yes. Why wouldn't he be? He is in the hospital and the only family that he has ever known is yelling at him for being selfish. Why? What exactly did he do and why exactly is he in the hospital? And what does César mean by freaks that he hangs out with? There can't be any freaks in this world. There are no more EVOs.

César lets out a loud growl before releasing his brother. "Let's just… leave," he grumbles as if the fight has left him. He signs some forms like he's used to this, and the dark look never leaves his face.

No sign of _mamá _or _papá_. No matter how many times Rex looks around, he doesn't see his illusive parents. Perhaps when he gets home… A strange thought occurs to him and he does his best to push it away. He shakes his head. No. There is no way that his parents are dead here, too. No. They're probably busy with something important or maybe this is just a common occurrence so they aren't worried that their youngest son is in the hospital. He'll see them soon enough. He just needs to stay hopeful.

"Rex," César said, motioning for his brother to follow him.

"Try to stay out of here," Doctor Rhodes said, patting Rex's back. "As much as I love you, I'd rather you stopped getting into 'accidents.'"

"Aw doc, you know you love me."

He gives her a playful wink and she rolls her eyes. The motion feels familiar but it feels all wrong. This doctor is too blonde. She's too open. She isn't Doctor Holiday and it leaves a putrid taste in his tongue. Ah, he hopes that he can see his doctor soon.

* * *

"Over here," César says, waving Rex over to his car. He gives his younger brother a look. Rex isn't sure how to read it (he's never been good at reading his brother), but he figures it is another negative emotion. Perhaps annoyance? Frustration? Hatred?

Stupid César and his stupid research. Even if the Event never happened, he is still obsessing over some other scientific research, isn't he? Rex feels so stupid for hoping something different. Why did he think that César would be different? Why did he believe that things will be better here? That he will have a loving family? No, no. This can very easily be just a César thing. He just needs to give it time. He does have a loving family and César is just having a bad night. Come morning, everything will be fine and he will have the family he's always dreamed of.

He gets into the car without a question. César, instead of turning on the engine, turns to face his brother.

"Rex…" he begins, earning the attention of the younger boy. He takes a deep breath and the anger is no longer there. "Look, I know what you're trying to do. But it's not going to work. They're not going to pay attention to you just because you're acting out. So just… just stop, okay? Stop hanging out with those... with your... with those freaks. And stop hurting yourself."

"What does it matter to you?" Rex means that in all honesty. Because from the way his brother has acted before, this sudden show of gentleness makes no sense at all. So why is he acting like this now? What is he trying to gain? Just what the hell does he want from Rex?

César flinches and looks away, guilt so obvious in the way his shoulders hunches. "Sorry," he mumbles. He pauses for a second, seeming to think about something carefully. "You're grounded, by the way." He then turns on the engine and looks at the road. He does not attempt to speak to Rex for the rest of the ride.

* * *

The house that they stop at looks cozy. Rex has no other words to describe it. It is a two-story building with a large garage. He can't quite tell what the color of the house is because of the darkness of the night, but he can already guess that it is a brick house. None of the lights are on, but when they park, the porch light flips on.

César wordlessly walks out of the car and opens the door. He does not look back to make sure that Rex follows.

Brothers.

Rex hesitates at the front door. It feels… almost like a dream. Behind this door is what he has always wanted: _his_ family. And thanks to the powers of the nanites, he can have it. And beyond this door…

He opens the door and walks into a hauntingly silent and dark house. Right. Right. What has he been thinking? Of course, everyone is asleep. Well, that is fine. He can meet them tomorrow. He takes a step forward and stops.

Which room is his?

César is already nowhere to be seen and Rex finds himself twitching in anger. No, no. Deep breathes. No need to lose his temper. He is going to meet his family tomorrow! With that thought accompanying him, he walks over to the couch in the living room. This will just have to do.

* * *

He can't fall asleep.

Even back in Providence, the silence wasn't this bad. Back when they had been driving or was at the hospital, there had been extra noise that he could drown out as he looked around his new environment. But it has been two hours since he first lay down on the couch. He has taken a walk around the living room thirty-five times. He has stared at the 60-inch TV, the scientific books and journals on the shelves, and the awards hung up in expensive frames. For the most part, the awards are scientific achievements, but there is one art award for Rex when he was in the third grade. There are two potted plants, one tree by the blinds and a smaller flowerpot on the small table in the middle of the room.

All in all, it looks like the perfect place for a family to hang out after dinner. Rex can see it in his mind's eye. Him with his homework, struggling as César laughs and helps correct his mistakes. Their father sitting on the armchair with an amused smile as he reads a science journal. Their mother chiding the two brothers as she types out her research on her laptop…

Ah, he is getting ahead of himself again. They are probably nothing like what he imagines. What is he doing, raising his own hopes like that? He should know better. Six has taught him better!

… Six.

Rex wonders how the agent is doing. What kind of work is the stoic man doing? Since the nanites doesn't exist, there is no way for Providence to exist. So what does Six do? Hell, is Six still his name?

"Ah… I hope I can see him again…"

* * *

A loud yelp of surprise pierces through his uneasy dream, jerking him awake and alert. Within seconds, he is up, both fists up ready for a fight (It takes him a few seconds to realize that his fists aren't turning into smack hands and he chides himself for his stupidity. Of course, he can't do that anymore). But what greets him isn't the red-alert of the Providence or the terrified civilian who needs help from an EVO. No, it is an older looking Hispanic woman, who is looking at Rex with teary eyes.

"_Mi_ _China!_" She holds her hand up to her mouth. "What has happened? Are you alright?" She hesitates a little before reaching out for Rex.

… Mom? No, no. She isn't the lady in the photos. But then… who is she and why is she here…?

"I'm fine," Rex mumbles, pulling back from her reach. Why does he have this strange feeling of unease? Is it because he has actually never seen her before? But he's never seen Doctor Rhodes before but he had been fine with her. So why this woman?

She looks saddened by his answer and reaction, but she doesn't protest. Instead, she puts her hands down and gives him a sad smile. "Would you like breakfast before school?"

Right. School. Damn it. He has been hoping that he wouldn't have to. But he supposes he is just going to suck it up. ... Maybe Noah will be there! Yes. That will be the best. If he ever has any problems, he always confides in Noah.

"Nah, can you get me my bag?" Rex asks with a winsome smile. This way, he doesn't have to let anyone know that he doesn't know the way to his own room. He will figure out where things are later after school… assuming he can figure out where the school is. But for now, one thing at a time.

The woman gives him a gentle smile. No seriously, who is this woman? Why is she being so nice? But instead of answering any of his silent questions, she just nods happily, calling him her sweetheart and other endearments as she walks off.

What the hell?

"I see you're already back to bullying poor Angela."

César.

Angela? So that's her name. Rex stores it in his mind. So he bullies her a lot? That must mean that she is his nanny or something. Right. It would be unusual if Six is still his nanny… Rex pushes the thoughts away to face his older brother.

"Morning," he greets hesitantly.

César doesn't answer. He just gives him an annoyed look. "You could have slept in your room."

Rex shrugs. What's it to César? Why does it matter where he slept?

"Do you hate us that much…?"

The question surprises the teen. But before he can ask, Angela is back with his bag and fresh clothes to be worn for the day. Rex figures that he can ask later and takes the things from Angela. But by the time he has gotten himself dressed, everyone else is gone already. And there are still no sign of his parents.

Despite having so many humans living here, it appears that this house is always very quiet.

With a heavy sigh, he opens the bag and flips through its contents. There are two binders filled with schoolwork (one is marked 'Language' and seems to contain bunch of neatly written lists, and the other is marked 'Math' with some kind of calculations figured out in it), an old calculus textbook filled with doodles, and a pencil pouch (containing two broken pencils, a ruler, a black sharpie, and a butterfly knife). Nothing in there can help him successfully locate where the school is or how to navigate through it once he is there.

This is going to be a long day.

* * *

He takes exactly three steps outside of the house before he is ambushed.

A pair of arms grabs him by the shoulders. With loud exclamation of "Rex!" a body slams into his with enough force to knock them both down. He blinks slowly and realizes that he has been tackled down by none other then Tuck. Behind them is Sqwydd (or perhaps Walter is the more correct name seeing that he is now a normal human), Cricket, and Circe, all three looking a little worried about something.

"Tuck, get off of him," Walter demands, pushing his friend off and offering Rex a hand up.

"I'm fine," Rex says with an easy smile.

It seems to make everyone else tense even more.

"How… how were things last night?" Circe asks finally, looking more frightened of his answer than he has ever seen her.

"Doctor Rhodes said I'll be fine." And then an idea forms in his head. These are his friends, aren't they? They will help if he's vulnerable. "Actually, she said that I hit my head a little too hard. My memory's kind of fuzzy and all over the place."

That seems to put the rest of them at ease within seconds.

"Oh man, I _told_ you to wear a helmet!" Tuck says, chuckling lightly and shaking his head.

"I'm glad you're okay," Cricket adds softly, giving him a shy smile.

Odd. Does she still have a crush on him? Rex just gives them all a sheepish smile. "So… who wants to fill me in on what happened last night?"

"You were being an idiot as always," Circe answers as she hooks her arm with his. So are they actually an item? Rex feels his heart race at the thought. "And you decided that you were going to ride your bike without a helmet."

"Bike?" Rex makes a face. Now that he doesn't have the nanites, he realizes that he would need a different mode of transportation. But… bike? How lame!

"Yes, bike," Walter deadpans. "Or should we say motorbike?"

"I have a motorbike?!"

"An illegal one. You put it together with spare parts you stole from the Evil Lord Dictator," Tuck says. "You seriously don't remember?"

Rex shakes his head. Can't remember what you never knew. "And César is okay with this?"

Circe pulls away from him with a jerk. "César?" she exclaims, giving him a worried look. "Since when do you care about what that jerk says?"

Oh. So he doesn't get along with César at all, and it's not just a last night thing. Can it be that the "freaks" that César kept mentioning last night are his group of friends around him right now? The thought makes him calm, even though he knows that it should make him a little worried about how his relationship with the rest of his family is like. It calms him because he feels like he's slowly starting to understand this place a little more.

"Okay, so… school?"

They're giving him a weird look again, but Cricket finally shrugs. "Sure," she says. "I thought you'd want to skip today, but we can go if you want."

It's ominous and he feels like he should start to worry. But then he remembers that his best friend is probably going to be at school, waiting for him, and he can't muster up a protest. He just grins widely and follows his friends.


	2. Of School and Friends

I must offer my utmost apologizes. I should not have called this a "dying" fandom. Because it is not. Thank you for all who's reviewed, now let's get this story on the road!

* * *

It takes them fifteen minutes to walk to the school. It's surprisingly close and there looks to be a small strip mall nearby, making it easy for kids to skip school. Rex takes everything in with relish and excitement but take extra care not to seem too obvious. He doesn't know what kind of person he used to be or how to act around everyone, but he doesn't want to completely alarm the people who care about him. So slowly, he decides. He's going to slowly fit into this world.

They walk in through the front door and Rex doesn't miss the way people quickly scamper out of their way. Can it be that they're popular or something? It makes him kind of giddy because doesn't this mean that even without EVO powers, he's a really cool guy?

As they walk through the halls under the gawking and awed gazes of the other students, Rex notices a janitor. Normally, he wouldn't have looked twice. But there's something about this janitor that catches his eye. Maybe it's the tasseled red hat on his head or the eye patch over his eye. Or the casual way he listened to his headphones instead of paying attention to his surroundings. But whatever it is, he takes a small detour to go talk to him.

"… Bobo?"

"That's _Mr_. Bobo to you, pipsqueak," the janitor growls in a familiar way.

"You're not a monkey!"

"Hah?!" The janitor exclaims in confusion. He snarls and pushes Rex away. "_Hilarious_, Salazar!" With that, he returns to sweeping and ignores Rex by cranking up the volume on his mp3.

"Nice!" Tuck cheers, holding up his hand for a high-five.

But Rex doesn't get it. What just happened? Why did Bobo push him aside like that? Worst still, why "Salazar" instead of "Rex"?

"Rex? Don't leave me hanging, bro."

"Ri-right." Rex high-fives Tuck, but he can't get rid of the strange questions.

"Do you remember your way to your locker or do you need help?" Circe asks in a bored kind of way. Almost like she could care less.

"Help, please."

She shoots him another uncertain look, but they comply. Almost like they're scared not to.

* * *

Rex makes sure to memorize his locker number and the combination. Cricket has to show him how to open it, but after the first few seconds, Rex is pretty sure he's gotten the hang of it. Apparently, he attends a school that doesn't allow kids to carry their backpacks around, so he has to dump his bag in there. Instead, he takes out one of the two binders and receive puzzled looks.

"What?" he asks, realizing he must've made a blunder somewhere.

"I don't think I've ever seen you serious about school before," Walter admits, looking a little like he's been punched. Like he can't quite believe that the world can change so drastically.

But if they don't come to school for studying, what did they come to school for? Rex doesn't voice it out loud. He's not a complete idiot. He knows that there are certain things in his life that doesn't translate well to normal people. So instead he just shrugs.

"I don't see why not."

"Did Doc give you something weird?" Tuck asks. Even he looks freaked out by this.

"What? No. It's…" Rex never finishes his thought because that's when he spots his best friend.

Noah walks in with a group of people. They're all wearing the red basketball jerseys, so Rex knows that Noah's part of the basketball team. They're all chatting excitedly as they pat each others' backs. Heh, how fitting. There must be some kind of a game tonight for them to all be hyped up like this. Rex doesn't hesitate. He trots over to say hello.

"Yo Noah!"

And all hell breaks lose.

There's fear in their eyes. Of course Rex recognizes it. He's spent all his life fighting EVOs, after all. Everyone backs away quickly, looking away and isolating Noah within seconds. For a brief moment, it looks like Noah's going to bolt. Like he's honestly terrified of facing Rex. Then the moment passes, Noah buffs out his chest and stands firm.

"_Salazar_," he hisses in a voice that he used to reserve for Van Kleiss or other enemies. "I don't know what kind of crap you're going to pull, but I'm not going to sit still. You want a fight? I'll give you a fight!"

"Oh really?" Walter drawls as he comes to stand next to Rex. "Going to fight all of us, Nixon?"

"I will cut you," Cricket promises as she and the others stand by Rex's side. "In places you never want to experience pain."

"So why don't you just crawl back into your little shell and go back to being the spineless victim you are?" Tuck adds. He takes a few extra steps, shoving Noah back with nothing but his words and his presence.

"Scram," Circe orders.

And Noah is gone, tripping on his own feet as he tries to get away from them as fast as he can. It's a side of Noah that Rex has never seen before and he just doesn't get it. Why aren't they friends? Can it be that if White Knight had never forced Noah to be Rex's friend, the two would never have any reason to talk to each other? But the level of fear and distrust in Noah's reaction is different than just someone you vaguely knew. Noah _hates_ him. And that's not something you can get by waving hello to someone in the halls.

"Dude," Tuck says, smacking Rex lightly on the chest. "What's wrong with you? Usually, you can't stand the sight of that guy."

"Isn't he… my friend?"

"How much have you really forgotten?" Walter demands, his voice sharp. "Be honest, Rex."

"I…" Rex looks down at the ground.

"You haven't been friends with Nixon since middle school," Cricket says finally. "Do you remember that?"

"I remember being friends," Rex says, his voice soft, almost breaking. There. That much is honest. The last thing he remembers is still being friends with Noah and now he's in a world where Noah hates him and Bobo is a human and-

"So you don't remember anything else?" Tuck asks, looking more confused than worried.

Rex just shrugs off the looks and walks back to his locker. "I'm fine," he insists. "I'm fine."

The others don't look very convinced, but Circe motions at them to stop. Instead, she just pats him on the shoulder and says, "Then good luck getting to class," and is gone.

Within seconds, the rest are gone, leaving him all alone to figure out the complex school system by himself.

* * *

He doesn't have a map. He doesn't even have a schedule for his class. If he at least knew the way to the office, he might be able to get both a schedule and a map, but he doesn't even know that. So he's stuck walking through the halls until someone takes pity on him.

And the person who does so is the hall monitor. And it's not pity that this guy displays.

"Salazar! If you're skipping class, kindly do so in a manner that won't bother me," the hall monitor snaps. Then he drags Rex to a random classroom and shoves him in. "I caught a rat," he informs the teacher.

The teacher's a sharp-looking woman with a look of disdain permanently on her face. She looks at Rex and tutts. Then she motions for him to sit somewhere, anywhere, just let her go back to teaching this class.

Cricket is in this class. Unfortunately, there isn't an empty seat for Rex to sit at by her. In fact, the only sit open is… Oh hell no. Is that… Breach?

He gulps lightly before marching down to sit next to her. He doesn't miss the way she quickly maneuvers herself to the edge of the seat to be as far away from him as physically possible without moving seats. Oh whew. At least in this world, she's not the crazy Breach who collects people as her "favorites."

The teacher returns to lecturing and Rex figures that he might as well as take notes. He opens the binder (he groans a little when he realizes that he's grabbed the 'Math' binder) and flips to a blank page. He then searches himself for a pencil and then remembers that he never grabbed the pencil pouch. Feeling a little embarrassed, he taps Breach's shoulder and has to duck as she spasms.

She gives him the most terrified look from behind her hair-veiled face. "What?" she whispers, her voice so low that Rex has to strain to hear it.

"I… uh… Pencil. Can I borrow one?"

Breach's lips thin, but she doesn't refute. Instead, she opens a pencil pouch with a cat on it and hands Rex a cutsey pen.

"Thanks," Rex tells her with a grin.

She quickly turns her head and returns to her work. But Rex doesn't miss that she's relaxed a little and that she's not as far as she used to be.

"Salazar," the teacher calls suddenly, disdain still clear in her voice, "what are your thoughts on the letter A on Hester's chest?"

Rex blinks and it takes him a second for his brain to connect him to what she's talking about. English class, he thinks. They must've just read _The Scarlet Letter_. He still remembers the time when Dr. Holiday had shoved the book in his hands and had demanded him write a twenty-page essay on it. Like hell he's going to disappoint his favorite doctor by not knowing the answer to that.

"Adultery... I think what started out as the sin displayed proudly on her chest became her saving grace. Without it, Hester probably wouldn't have been able to gain the status that she did with the town's people."

The rest of the class is staring at him in disbelief. And it's Cricket's voice that rings loudly through the shocked silence.

"_You_ did the reading?"

"It's an easy book," Rex says, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Oh crap, he did it again, didn't he? Just what kind of a person did he used to be to usher this kind of shock that he's done something as simple as reading a book?

The teacher stutters a little but then quickly reclaims the class's attention. Then they move on, ignoring that Rex ever participated in the class. It's kind of lonely, but he figures he would rather that they ignore him than give him that weirded out look again.

* * *

"Hey Breach, thanks." Rex passes the pen back to the girl who flinches at the sound of her name. Actually, now that he stops to think about it, there's no way that that's her name.

But she just nods and quickly leaves, meeting up with two other guys as she does so. Could they be Biowulf and Skalamander?

"What the hell, Rex?" Cricket exclaims, coming over to his desk. "If you did the reading, then you could've at least told me what it was about!"

But he can tell that that's not what she wants to say. "I read it a while back," he mumbles. It's the truth. A while back in a world that's very different from this one… "Besides, you sort of abandoned me in the halls. How was I supposed to tell you anything?"

She blushes and looks down at her feet. But he notes that for the rest of the day, she and the rest of the group do their best to help him get to class.

* * *

Lunch time is, as always, the best part of the day.

He grabs the mandatory cafeteria gloop on tray and walks out with his group of friends. He glances around, looking for an empty seat, but the rest don't bother with that. They just walk over to a table.

"Hey," Tuck says, putting his foot on the table, "Scram."

The kids on the table don't complain. They quickly disperse, letting Rex and his friends have the now empty table.

"Whua…? Guys, isn't that bullying?" Rex can't help but to ask.

"What are you talking about, Rex?" Cricket asks as she sits down. "This is how we always do things."

It feels wrong but he's not about to argue with them. They're the only ones who can help him out in this situation, after all. He just sits down and pokes at the so-called food on his tray.

"So you really don't remember, do you?" Walter asks, looking at Rex like he's a puzzle.

"Just in case, let me point a few things out," Tuck volunteers. He then points to various people, telling Rex arbitrary titles and few tidbits of information such as "They're losers," and "They fight back." Then he points to Breach and the two guys from before, and declares, "They're Van Kleiss's kids."

"Van Kleiss? He's here?"

"He's the biology teacher," Circe says. "You said once that he used to work with your parents. But that he did something stupid and now has to work here." She looks at him expectedly, as if she wants him to continue adding to that information.

"So that's… Breach and Biowulf and Skalamander, right?"

"You remember their nicks?" Cricket asks, looking a little frazzled. "But you don't remember other things?"

Rex shrugs. "They're interesting names."

They look uncertain but they don't push for more information.

* * *

"Finally, the end of the day! Let's hit the arcade!"

"Actually, I'm grounded."

Everyone turns to give Rex a scandalized look.

"So I'll be heading home. See you guys later!"

* * *

Thank goodness the house is so close to the school. He makes it back no problem. Taking a deep breath, he stands in front of the front door again. His hand touches the doorknob and he slowly turns it.

Open.

Should it be open?

His training kicks in before he even mentally recognize what's going on. He opens the door a crack, watching carefully what's going on. There's sound of someone's voice, potentially arguing with someone. Female. It doesn't sound like there's anything bad going on. Relaxing at the thought, he walks in.

"-never home anyways!" Then there's the sound of something slamming and a loud cursing.

"… Mom?" Rex calls.

A beautiful woman walks out of the kitchen, looking more drained than Holiday after a visit to the zoo back in the day. And instead of a kind smile and a hug that Holiday would've offered (even if she felt tired because she always put Rex's mental stability over her own), the woman just shakes her head no.

"Not now, Rex."

Then she's gone, walking away and leaving him alone in the hall.

And he realizes with a start that maybe, just maybe, having a physical, blood-related family is much different from having a family of his own choosing.


	3. Of Rooms and Tuck

Rex finally finds his room on the second floor. He knows that this is his room because this is the one that Angela takes him to when he asks (She gets all teary-eyed and says something about her beloved child in Spanish, but he's starting to think that that's just her thing).

He's not too sure what he's expected to find. Maybe some kind of a giant sign that tells him exactly what his life was like. But what he finds instead is a neatly organized room that looks more like an empty room at Providence than one where a teenage boy dwells in. Hell, he's pretty sure that his own room back at Providence had more personality than this room!

There's a bed, a desk, a bookshelf filled with mechanical books, and a walk-in closet. Everything has been neatly organized and categorized, and from the looks of it, cleaned often (but he thinks that the last has more to do with Angela than anything else).

"Someone's really OCD," he mumbles to himself as he browses through the books.

Mechanical textbooks and engineering books line the shelves in alphabetical order by the author's last name. He pulls one out and flips through and grimace. It's complicated and there are notes scribbled on the margins and it's obvious that these books are well-loved and well-studied. Then he spots the name on the front cover.

"César Salazar."

He goes through every single one of the books. And every single one of them has the same name on the front cover.

"Hand-me-downs...?"

Rex doesn't really know how to feel about this. So he just puts the books back. Cram them back into the shelves, not caring about their order or anything else. In fact, the order of this room is starting to piss him off. With a loud shout, he kicks the bed. Then he flips over the mattress, throwing the covers off. He upturns the chair, rips through his closet, and turns the entire room into something organic. Like someone _lives_ here.

A laughter bubbles out of him and he throws himself down on the coverless mattress. See? Isn't this so much better? It doesn't feel so stuffy anymore! It feels like someone lives here, like it's okay to live here. It feels like he can belong here.

And as he lies down, surveying the mess he's made, his eyes spot a familiar black rectangle. Well, to call it familiar would be pushing it. He's seen it just once (at least that he remembers). The black diary that Quarry had offered him such a long time ago. Half of him hesitates because doesn't this mean that even in this world he has trouble retaining his memories? But the other half is exhilarated because this is it. He's finally going to get his answers.

He gingerly picks up the PDA diary and looks at it. He turns it on and holds his breath. There. Finally, he's going to be able to know who he is. He's going to know what his family is like, why his friends are like that, and just why he and Noah aren't best of friends anymore. The PDA chimes and the opening screen pops up and then…

"Password…?" Rex blinks. Password? Well, of course there's a password! Why didn't he see this one coming?

He groans a little before trying the most obvious one, "Rex." Nope. "Salazar." Nope. "Rexisawesome." Nope. "Rexiscool." Nope. "RexSalazariscool." Nope.

With a frown, he begins to input as much combination of words and letters that he can think of that he would potentially use. The only problem being, he wants to open this PDA to see what he would normally use. His knowledge of Providence and EVOs are completely worthless here.

"Circe." Nope. "Tuck." Nope. "Walter." Nope. "Skwydd." Nope. "Cricket." Nope. "César." Nope. "Noah." Nope. "Rhodes." Nope. "Holiday." Nope. "Providence." Nope. "Six." Nope…

Rex drops the PDA and groans again. "This is ridiculous!"

* * *

Angela lets out a strangled gasp when she walks into the room. She covers her mouth, looking around wildly with teary eyes and panic.

"Sorry about the mess," Rex tells her quickly as he pockets the PDA. "Don't clean it, okay? I like it like this."

She nods slowly, looking completely terrified for whatever reason.

"I'm going out."

She doesn't try to stop him.

* * *

He ends up at the strip mall, wondering what to do now. He's left in such a hurry and all he has in his pocket is the PDA diary that he can't even open. It's not like he can just blow off steam by going to the arcade since he doesn't have any money. He can't believe that he's thinking this, but he suddenly desperately really wish that he still has his EVO abilities, because at least then he can convince the machine over there for a drink.

A soft sigh leaves his mouth and he runs his hand through his hair. Now what?

He sits down on one of the benches and just watches the people walk by. Most of the people ignore him, and few give him a weirded out look. And even though he feels kind of like a creep for doing this, he stares as people interact with one another. He watches couples talk of sweet nothings, he watches family tiredly trying to mollify their little ones, and he watches friends hang out and have fun. And in the midst of all the people, his eyes catch sight of a familiar green.

His body moves before he thinks this through. And before he knows it, he's standing right behind the familiar green suit and _Dear gods, so this is where you've been and I need someone to talk to and-_

"Six!" Rex grabs the man's arm, causing the man to jerk violently and turn to face Rex. "Six!" Rex exclaims again, certain of it this time. And his mouth moves before his brain registers everything that has happened. "Oh thank god you're here! I was starting to get really scared and everything's so messed up. But Providence can fix it, right? Hell, I'll even welcome White Knight's sourpuss attitude over all of this! And even if you can't fix it, just seeing you give me so much hope!"

And he stops.

Rex has known Six for a pretty long time and he'd like to think that he can see through the man's disguises. And usually, whenever Rex panics like this, there's a bit of a gentle touch to Six's face. Like he's worried, like he cares. But the Six in front of him does not have that gentleness. His face is lined and hard and it's so frigging obvious that this man in front of him _is not Six_.

"Oh I'm sorry. I must have gotten you confused with someone else." Rex laughs nervously and he quickly turns, trying to get away.

But Six grabs his arm and holds him firm. "Who are you?" he demands in the cold way that Rex hasn't heard since Six lost his memory. "And what do you know about White Knight and-"

Rex kicks, aiming directly at Six's head. And just as predicted, Six lets him go to dodge the attack. But this reaction is what Rex has been aiming for. He turns and runs without looking back, ignoring Six's voice shouting after him.

* * *

Few minutes later, Rex finds himself lost in the rows and rows of houses that fill the residential area. His heart won't stop hammering in his chest and the tears won't stop gathering in his eyes. He should've known. He should've known that something like this would happen and he should have prepared himself for it.

He wants to fall down to the ground and cry. He just wants to scream and let out the pent up frustration that he thought he's managed to shake off when he tore apart his room. But this is different kind of frustration. This is a different kind of anger. Because damn it, he should have known.

Of course Six doesn't know him. Of course Six would react like that. He's a stranger. They're strangers. He doesn't know Six in this universe, because EVOs don't exist and Providence doesn't exist. There was no reason for Six to appear to him and save him six years ago. That's why there's no Holiday, there's no Six, there's no Providence, no Bobo, no Noah…

There's no one left in this world that remembers what the world was like. And he had been so sure at first that that's a good thing. He can just immerse himself in this new world and live like a normal person with a normal family. And only now is it occurring to him that maybe, just maybe, he's made a decision without thinking things through carefully enough. Because this world isn't what he imagined at all.

_You'll regret it_, he remembers telling the nanites before his wish was granted. And ha, frigging ha, because he's the butt of the joke now.

But then again, what did he expect? Did he really think that things were going to be fine, that everyone would still be the same? He's changed a very important variable in the equation that is the world. No matter what he does, no matter what he wishes for, it's not going to matter. He can never return to that world.

"… Rex?"

He reacts the same way he would've if he were ambushed. He lashes out. One hand grabs the outreached hand that's been hesitating whether to tap Rex's shoulder. The other hand forms a fist and flies at the perpetrator's face. And it's only barely centimeters away from target that Rex stops because he's about to punch Tuck.

Tuck's eyes are wide and that's honest-to-goodness fear shining in there. But instead of fighting back, he's resigned himself to the fate of being hit by Rex. It makes no sense. The Tuck in the other world wouldn't have-

Rex forces himself to stop thinking like that. He has to stop comparing this world to that. He _has _to. _Because that world doesn't exist._ And holding the people here up to the standards that he had for them in the other world just isn't fair at all. These people are going to be different. They're going to react differently because they never had to worry about surviving EVOs or Providence or what have you.

Taking a deep breath, he releases Tuck without bodily harm. "Sorry," he mumbles, looking down. "Sorry."

"No. I just… I'm sorry," Tuck says quickly. "I didn't mean to startle you."

He doesn't mention Rex's puffy eyes so Rex doesn't bring it up either. They just stand, awkwardly unable to look properly at each other. Until finally, Tuck sighs and speaks up.

"You all right?"

No. Rex is not all right. Rex doesn't think he'll ever be all right again. But then again, he's not sure if he's ever felt "all right" in all of his crazy life that he can remember (and even some that he can't). He kicks at the ground instead of answering.

"We can chill at my place for a bit, if you don't want to be home."

Rex looks up and meets Tuck's uncertain eyes. He smiles gratefully (at least now he has a reason why he's not wandering through the neighborhood, trying to figure out where his home is).

"Thanks."

He doesn't comment that Tuck doesn't look relieved at all. He still looks uncertain and slightly fearful, almost as if he's just invited a famished tiger to dinner.

* * *

Tuck is the eldest of three kids. He has a dog and a cat, neither of which gets along well. His father is stoic and his mother is kind (if not a little overbearing). Rex learns all of this the minute he walks into Tuck's house and the entire place is alive with sound.

"Sorry," Tuck says, yelling over the commotion to be heard. "We weren't expecting any guests, so the place is a mess."

But all Rex registers is the livelihood. He hears the noise of the children and the fretting mother, he sees the mess on the walls, and all he wants to do is cheer because this is what he wanted. A home, a family. A place filled with people whose laughter bubbled over with love and affection.

Tuck drags him away into the upstairs room, locking the door behind him. He apologizes some more as he quickly walk around and kicks things to the side. Rex sits down on the bed (unmade bed with dirty laundry dumped on it), looking around the room with something akin to fascination. Sure, he's lived with Tuck before (in a memory that he still can't quite recall), but he doesn't think he's ever _seen_ Tuck's room like this, bare to the world to witness.

"So…" Tuck says, leaning against the door. "Grounded, eh?"

It takes a second for Rex to figure out what Tuck means, and when he does, he lets out a small "Oh!" sound. "About that," he says with a nervous laugh. "I didn't feel like it, you know?"

Tuck nods, looking far more comfortable now. "Yeah, I figured when I spotted you in the mall. Uh… That green suit guy that you talked to…"

"He's no one," Rex says firmly. He gives Tuck a look, letting his friend know that this topic isn't to be brought back up again.

Tuck just shrugs at that. "Sure didn't look like a no one, but if you say so." He hesitates a little before adding, "Was he the reason why you…?"

Rex looks away, refusing to answer. Tuck sighs a little before coming to sit down next to Rex on the bed. For a second there, Rex thinks that Tuck is going to push this topic, but he doesn't. They just sit silently in the room while the rest of the house explodes with shouts.

"Want to play a game?" Tuck says instead.

Rex smiles gratefully.

* * *

"Tuuuck! Either eat with us or starve!"

"Aw come on!" Tuck groans. "They always interrupt whenever I start winning!"

Rex laughs at that. "I guess I better head home then."

Tuck seems to debate something internally for a second before scratching the back of his head. "Why don't you just stay over? I'm sure mom doesn't mind getting you dinner."

It's odd. Tuck didn't seem to want him in the house, but now that Rex is here, Tuck seems hesitant to let him go. Is there something back at the house that Rex shouldn't know about? Or perhaps this is just the normal way things are done. Rex's family are never there, so this is Tuck's way of just being a good friend.

"Thanks."

* * *

Tuck's mother showers Rex with affection tinged with uncertainty. It's kind of odd to watch because it's obvious that she wants to shower him with love, but there's something that makes her hold back. Rex isn't sure if it's the warning looks in Tuck's eyes or it's because she has her own children to take care of, but whatever it is, Rex figures it'll be wise not to comment on it.

The children are loud as they eat, bragging about their day and demanding more food. One even climbs onto Rex's lap, trying to steal some of his fried beef. Tuck quickly pulls her off, shooting Rex more apologizes while sternly scolding his sister harsher than Rex would've expected. And it takes a few seconds but then it finally clicks. The reason Tuck is behaving like this is because he wants to show Rex the best of his family. It's odd, because shouldn't it be Tuck trying to make Rex look good in front of his family and not the other way around?

Rex doesn't really get it, but he just smiles along and eats.

"How was your day, Tuck, Rex?" Tuck's father asks, giving them a serene smile.

"Ah you know," Tuck answer vaguely with a shrug.

"It's been a crazy day," Rex answers with an easy smile. "One of those 'I woke up on the top of the world and now I'm here' kind of days, you know? But man, this beef is delicious. It's making me feel like things are going to get better!"

And suddenly, everyone's silent. The silence lasts only for a few seconds, but Rex can't help but to be unsettled by it. Every pair of eyes is on him, all giving him unreadable looks. Then there's a nervous laugh from one of the kids and suddenly, there's warmth and love and there's no more of the uncertainty or fear or whatever it was that held them back.

Tuck's father pats him on his back. Tuck's mother runs off to get Rex extra heaping of food. And Tuck's little siblings swarm him, asking him all sorts of questions about Tuck and life and how cool it must be to be in _high school_. Rex laughs along, revealing in the family that is not his own that's treated him far kinder than his own.

He almost misses Tuck's ashen face.

* * *

"You know you didn't have to do that."

They're in Tuck's room again, preparing for bed. Tuck's insisted that Rex have the bed, and that he'll be fine with the futon on the floor. Something about how Tuck's more used to the floor anyways, and Rex might as well be comfortable.

Rex glances over at his friend with a frown. "I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to brush my teeth before bed," he assures his friend.

"No, I mean… You didn't have to pretend to be nice. You could've just been yourself with my family."

"But I am being myself."

Tuck rolls his eyes. "Right. You willingly let my brat sister climb onto your lap."

"But I did."

"Dude, I don't know what's going on, but you're starting to scare me a little. Is this because of your… memory loss thing?"

Memory loss…?

And suddenly, Rex is hit with a blinding inspiration. Because hah! Right there. Doesn't he have the excuse for everything right there? And he hadn't even been thinking of that when he first came up with the excuse, but he realizes that this is it. He _can_ change everything. He _can_ have the happy family he's always dreamed about, he _can_ get Noah back, and he _can_ change whoever it was that he was before.

"Hey Tuck, would you say that I was a good guy? Before the memory loss, I mean."

Tuck frowns, suddenly on edge. "Well… I wouldn't use those words exactly but…"

"Then if I were to declare that I want to change. That I don't want to be who I was anymore… What would you say?"

There's a moment of silence as Tuck tilts his head, calculating what exactly Rex might mean. Then with a firm resolution, he nods. "I would say that whatever you want, I will help you achieve."

See? What are friends for?

Rex grins. "I knew I could count on you!"

Then Tuck adds one more thing that sends shivers down Rex's spine because what? No. That can't be. This can't be happening and-

"But Quarry won't be happy with it."


	4. Of Bikes and Six

"What… What did you say?" Rex demands, his voice barely above a whisper. It feels as if someone's squeezing his lungs, making it hard to breath. "What do you mean _Quarry_?"

"Rex, calm down. I didn't mean any-"

"_What the hell do you mean by Quarry_?!"

Fear flickers in Tuck's eyes but he holds up both his hands in front of Rex to calm him. "Rex," he says, his voice as soothing as possible. "It's okay. Everything's fine. I'll take care of it."

"Tell me where he is! I'll go to him right now. And I'll… I'll…" Rex trails off as he glances down at his hands. No Smack Hands. No nanites. No boost in fighting abilities. And damn it all, because hadn't Six told him time and time again to train, to hone his body to be ready for anything?

Tuck gently guides Rex back to the bed and sits him down. "Forget I said anything," he says, his voice still soothing as if he's talking to a child. He crouches so that they're eye-to-eye. "What about this? We'll skip school and go blow off steam like we used to. All five of us, just like the good old days, okay?"

Rex nods numbly, but he's not too sure what he's agreeing to. All he can think about is Quarry and how he's still haunting his group (and his life). All he can think about is the fact that he no long possesses the abilities to fight Quarry and that he no longer has Six's backing and that he's probably going to die if he went against Quarry. After all, Quarry might not be a rock EVO anymore, but he's still an adult with probably bunch of other thugs working for him and…

He snaps out of his thoughts when he realizes that he's being tucked in. His face flushes red with embarrassment and he swats away Tuck's hands. "I'm not a baby," he snaps.

"Sorry," Tuck says lightly. "I just need you to know that the world hasn't ended."

It's surprisingly sweet and reassuring. Rex ends up just smiling goofily at his friend. Maybe Tuck's right. Maybe things are going to get better. He's going to be able to figure out how to handle Quarry (he always does, after all). All he has to do is figure out what the password to the diary might be.

Yes, it's going to be all right.

* * *

Tuck shakes him awake at a ridiculous hour of the morning, all ready to go. He has an insanely large grin on his face and Rex can't quite remember what it is that he promised that's got Tuck this excited.

"C'mon!" Tuck says, pulling him out of the bed and pushing him into the bathroom. "Hurry before my family wakes up!"

Rex sleepily go through the motions as his mind fights against the drowsiness to remember exactly why Tuck is this excited. Let's see… They played games last night, ate dinner and…

Quarry.

His attention snaps awake and he forces his hands to relax from a fist that he's unwittingly made. Maybe he's overthinking it. Maybe things will be different. Then he remembers César and he can't help but to sigh. Some things are different for sure, but there are other things that aren't. And it just so happens that the people he really needs to talk to the most are the ones who are different.

No. He's not going to think like that. This is the world that he has created. This is the ideal world that he wanted to live in. So he's going to make the best of it.

He walks back out to Tuck with a confident grin.

* * *

Rex isn't too sure what it is that they do normally when they skip school. When Noah and he used to hang out, it was at the basketball courts. But he somehow gets the feeling that this group doesn't shoot hoops to relax. Maybe they hang out in the arcade? Should he let Tuck know now that he doesn't have any money on him?

He silently follows Tuck as they make their way down through the street. And about ten more minutes of this awkward silence, they finally arrive at their destination.

An auto-repair shop.

It looks like it's still too early for the place to be open, but there are few people running about, getting ready for the day. The question "Why are we here?" is at the tip of Rex's tongue when he remembers that he supposedly fell off of his motorcycle on the night that he was in the hospital. They must be here to pick it up. Wait a minute. Doesn't that mean that their favorite past time is-

"Hey Moss!" Tuck shouts, waving his arms. "We're here to pick up the Rex Ride!"

… Moss? Rex Ride? Rex's heart skips a beat, and he holds his breath as a familiar figure waves back to them.

"Tuck, Rex," Moss shouts, waving them over to where he's working on something. He's grinning widely and Rex has a small feeling that it's going to be some kind of crazy news about bikes, because that's the only thing Moss cares about (or at least the Moss that he's met cared about it. Who knows about this Moss?).

"Man, you guys give me the weirdest problems," Moss begins, shaking his head. He slaps Rex's shoulder, looking mighty proud. It doesn't hurt or anything, but it does remind Rex that he needs to start breathing again. "Dude, when I saw how totaled your bike was, I thought you were a goner! Good to see you walking around though. Can't say the same for your bike."

"It's still not fixed?" Tuck asks, looking shocked and a little disappointed. "I thought you could fix everything, Moss!"

"Yeah, but spare parts aren't exactly free or lying around for me to pick up and use, you know?" Moss says with a shrug. Then an idea must have occurred to him, because he pales slightly and he lowers his voice. "Unless you need it urgently for something…?"

"It's not-" Rex begins. But he's quickly cut off by Tuck.

"It's urgent," Tuck insists. He crosses his arms and gives Moss a dark look. "We need a ride _now_."

Moss rubs the back of his neck and makes a face. Then with a heavy sigh, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his keychain. "Not a single scratch, you hear?" With that, he tosses the key to them, muttering darkly about annoying brats. Then he goes off to work, and Rex figures that it means they've been dismissed.

"I don't think we need the bike _now_," Rex points out to Tuck.

His friend shrugs. "If we don't stress the importance of it, Moss'll never let us do anything. C'mon, Rex. Let's get going!"

* * *

Tuck is hesitant at first, but in the end, relents and lets Rex drive. He just sits behind Rex and shouts out the directions to a mountain. It takes a good thirty minutes to get there, and by the time they arrive, the others are already there, waiting for them.

"Took you long enough," Walter grumbles as a greeting.

Rex doesn't even remember when Tuck asked them to gather. But he figures that's not important. They're going to spend time together and it's not going to matter whether Rex "remembers" things or not, because they're going to be riding. It's a win-win situation for him.

"I call first ride!" Cricket exclaims. She hops over to Rex and gives him a shy smile. "Unless you don't want to?"

Rex flashes her a bright smile. "Get on!"

* * *

It's exhilarating. He's figured out the controls from when he was riding with Tuck, and it's really not all that different from his old Red Ride. There are few obvious differences, but it's not too bad. Instead of worrying about the controls, he ends up just speeding through the mountain roads. The curve of the road takes him to the time when he's travelled alone after breaking out of Providence's control. He remembers the freedom, the wind, the smell…

A flash of green catches his attention. Rex glances to the left, trying to follow it, but he's going too fast and the green is no longer there. Chalking it off as a trick of his mind, he shakes his head and ignores it.

* * *

They take turns riding the bike. None of the others have a bike, so Rex thinks that this makes the most sense. The ones who doesn't want to drive just pairs up with someone else for a whirl. He thinks it's a great way to relax, and he's kind of in awe of the system that they seem to have come up with.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Cricket asks as she sits down next to him.

Currently, Circe is gearing up to go, and Walter is making it expressively clear that he can drive if he wants to, it's just that he doesn't really feel like it all that much, and stop laughing, Tuck, it's really not that funny!

"Ah. I was just thinking that this is really nice," Rex says, motioning to the scene before them. "I feel like we haven't hung out all that much."

Cricket bites her lips and looks down, and Rex wonders if he's said something wrong again. But instead, she shakes her head and says softly, "We really haven't, have we?"

It's quiet and sad. Rex feels like there is more meaning behind those words that she's not voicing out loud, but he can't quite figure out how to phrase the question. So instead, they just sit quietly, unable to meet each others' eyes. And in the side of his peripheral vision, Rex spots that green again. But by the time he turns his head to look, the green is gone and he's starting to think that something's going on here.

* * *

"Having fun?" Rex teases when Walter returns from the ride with Circe. He looks pale and sickly, and shoots Rex an annoyed look. Circe, on the other hand, just takes off the helmet and flicks her hair back with a superior smirk.

"He still can't handle a little speed," Circe says with a mocking sigh.

Walter gives them both the finger before rushing off the bike to behind a bush. From there, the rest can hear the sounds of retching. They all laugh, and Rex feels like he belongs again. Like he's back home and they're all just EVOs on the run, and they're just having some fun.

And there! There's that flash of green again!

Rex turns to look but again, it's gone. He frowns because this sure as hell is annoying and-

"You alright, Rex?"

"Yeah… I'll be right back guys."

And he runs off, chasing that flash of annoying green.

* * *

There's a rest area nearby, one with restrooms and an old vending machine that doesn't seem to be connected to anything. But there's no sign of life or the green flash. Rex sighs a little. Maybe he's overthinking this. Maybe the flash of green is really just a random trick of his mind. He should get back to the group.

The hairs on the back of his neck stand up and Rex knows this feeling only too well. He doesn't hesitate, because hesitation is the difference between life and death. And he's lived through way too many life-or-death situations to fall for it. He whirls around and uses the momentum to punch with all his might.

Lo and behold, who else should it be but Six?

Six catches Rex's fist and spares it a small glance. Then he turns his face towards Rex. Even though he's wearing sunglasses, Rex knows that he's being studied.

"Good reflex," Six comments.

And it feels so much like the old days that Rex just wants to cling to him and tell him all the little things that are going wrong in his life. But he doesn't, because he's not a little kid anymore and Six doesn't need to be his nanny 24/7. And damn it, he shouldn't need Six anymore anyways! He has a family now.

"Rex Salazar," Six continues. His head is tilted slightly to the side, as if to judge Rex better. "Born to Doctors Violeta and Rafael Salazar. Younger brother to César Salazar, genius extraordinaire. Black sheep of the family. Been twice to the Juvenile Detention Center, both times because of minor misdemeanors. Often frequents Holiday Hospital. Usually seen with his group of friends or a convict identified only as 'Quarry.' Drives a motorcycle without permit or a license. Causes trouble everywhere he goes."

"Is that my file?" Rex isn't too sure what he's feeling right now. He thinks it might be a combination of fear and reluctant awe. There might be some annoyance as well, but his head's reeling a little too much for him to properly identify it. Because the sixth most dangerous man in the world is glaring down at him with information that he doesn't even know, and they're not supposed to know each other.

"There's nothing in there about being trained in combat," Six concludes. He releases Rex's fist. "But you've obviously been trained. Not well, but trained."

Rex bites back the urge to retort, "You're the one who trained me," and instead backs away, quickly glancing around to assess his escape routes. Just as he had been taught. Except he's thinking about this all wrong, because the one who's taught him is the one standing before him, except not really and this is all starting to get kind of confusing.

"You won't be running away this time. Your friends also won't be coming to save you."

"What the hell do you want from me, Six?" He hates how caged his sound. He's not supposed to talk like that to Six. Hell, Six isn't allowed to talk like this to Rex! But this isn't Six. This isn't the Six who took him in to Providence and helped train him to be their weapon. This isn't the Six who watched his back, cared for him, and loved him like a son. This isn't that Six.

"I just want to know why you-"

Rex doesn't give him the chance to finish. He kicks twice, satisfied when Six dodges them both, and while Six is distracted, he runs. He hears Six's soft sigh and he hears him give chase, but Rex has one more thing that Six doesn't have.

* * *

He makes it down to his friends just in time. They glance up, looking a little shocked that he's rushing towards them.

"Sorry!" he shouts. "I'll make it up to you guys later!" And he grabs the bike and, without bothering with the helmet, _drives_.

* * *

He's sure that Six isn't following him anymore.

But truth be told, he's not too sure where he is. He's mind's been in turmoil so he hasn't really been paying attention to where he's driving or anything really. But it's not until he feels safe and he pulls up to a gas station that he realizes that he has no idea where he is or how to get back. He doesn't have any phone so it's not like he can call anyone. And even if he could borrow a cell to call someone, what are the likelihood that the numbers that he remembers still work in this universe? And even if it does work, the numbers he knows are limited to Noah and Providence, and neither are going to be helping him any time soon.

He parks the bike and sits down on the curb next to it, debating what to do now. It seemed like such a great idea at first; change the world so that there are no more EVOs. But now that the EVOs are gone, Rex is starting to wonder if maybe, just maybe, he's created invisible monsters that are much more deadly. At least EVOs looked like monsters that you could fight against. But the monsters before him right now aren't exactly something he can just punch away.

"Hey kid, you lost?"

Rex looks up glumly and freezes. The man standing before him is bulky and massive. He's looking down at Rex with a small sneer that he's come to know all too well. All that's missing are the hockey mask and the crazy and powerful weapon that he's used to hunt down Rex before.

"I… Uh… Yeah…" Rex stammers. _Calm down,_ he tells himself. _He's not Hunter Cain. He doesn't hate EVOs. EVOs don't exist. _But that doesn't calm him down at all, and his legs tense, ready to run.

"That sucks," Cain declares.

Rex just looks at him, not too sure if this is just some kind of a ritual before he's going to get shot at.

Then a petite woman comes barreling over and smacks Cain's chest lightly. "Oh Cain," she sighs. "I tell you to be nice and here you are, just standing around." She turns to Rex with a kind smile. "Hi, I promise we're not weirdoes. Except I suppose that's what weirdoes would say in this situation. But uh… What I mean is, my husband Cain here and I would like to help out."

"But… Why? You don't even know me."

"Well… This is going to sound kind of silly, but someone lent us a hand few hours ago and told us to spread the kindness by helping ten other people. As if happens, you're our number one person to help. Besides, I'm sure you have a bright future in front of you. I bet you're going to go off and do amazing things!"

Rex's lips curve up to a crocked smile. _Oh lady_, he thinks. _You don't even know the half of it._ "Thank you."

* * *

It takes them three hours to finally figure out where Rex lives and to take him there. In those three hours, Rex gets to know about who Cain was before he lost his wife. He's still gruff and strict, but there's a touch of kindness there. And Rex thinks that he understands why Cain turned into such an extremist after killing her. It's there in the gentle way he looks at her. It's there in the quiet way he tilts his head towards her to hear her better. It's there in his eyes, his gestures, his words, his tone, his entire being.

And maybe Rex had been a bit too harsh on the other Cain, because this Cain doesn't even seem to be able to squash a bug without paling. Instead, he just cups it gently and lets it out the window with care. Amazing how much a human being changes when they lose the one they love... Rex forces himself to not think about the people that he's come to consider as family.

"Thank you," Rex tells them sincerely once he and his bike has been dropped off.

"No problem," Cain's wife says with a bright smile. "Now, you have to go out there and help ten other people, too, okay? We'll spread kindness everywhere in the world like this!"

"I will."

He waves them goodbye and watches the truck get further and further into distance. And isn't it just hilarious that he's having such a hard time in his new life but Hunter Cain has everything set? He forces himself to stop that train of thought. _No_, he tells himself. _I've got to stop thinking like that. _Instead, he needs to focus on his real life now. He needs to ground himself here without continuously comparing. He needs to find reasons to love this place.

He turns to the doorknob of the front door again and he grins. "Back here again."

Once again, the house is quiet. There's no one here to scold him for skipping school or ask about the motorcycle in the driveway. There's no one here at all, not even Angela.

He used to be pretty jealous of those kids on TV who returned home to a mother who's always baking and father who's always reading the newspaper. And it's really not until now that he realizes why. It's because whether there are EVOs or not, he's always going to come home to an empty house.

Rex walks into the kitchen and glances around. "I'm going to change it," he decides out loud. "It doesn't always have to be like this."

With that resolve, he grabs the materials around the kitchen. When ready, he takes a deep breath and begins to cook.


	5. Of Late Dinners and White Knight

César comes back home around 11 pm. He looks tired and smells faintly of sulfur. He rubs his eyes and drops his vest to the ground, muttering unintelligibly as he does so. He barely notices Rex in the kitchen and begins to make his way upstairs before he stops. He blinks twice and turns back to look in the kitchen.

"Rex?" he asks, confusion clear in his voice. "That you?"

"Who else would it be, _hermano_?" Rex replies as he turns the oven on. "Get in here. You haven't eaten, right? You never eat when you're busy."

César looks very much confused, but he doesn't refute. He just slowly makes his way into the kitchen, dazed. "Am I dreaming?" he asks as he stares at the set table. "What is all of this?" Then his brows furrows and he glares at Rex and demands, "What the hell did you do now?"

Rex rolls his eyes at the reaction and pours a cup of juice for César. "I just wanted to do something nice for my brother. Is that against the law now?"

"Did you poison it?" is the automatic answer he receives.

Jeesh, he tries to do one nice thing…

Rex takes out the pasta from the oven and places it in front of César. "No. And to prove it, I'll let you serve us."

"You haven't eaten yet?" Oh, is that concern in his brother's voice now?

Rex just shrugs in answer. It makes César think really hard about the situation. He looks around at the dirty dishes and the nicely set table. His eyes then land on the pasta that Rex just warmed up and he sighs.

"Alright, but you're eating it first," he says. Concern? Yeah right.

He takes a spoonful of pasta and places it on Rex's plate. Then on his own. And again and again until he's certain that neither of them got too much from one side (in case only one side is poisoned). He then motions at Rex to begin eating. Rex can't help but to wonder faintly at exactly what happened before that made César this paranoid.

Rex looks straight into his brother's eyes and eats a forkful of pasta. After swallowing, he opens his mouth to show César that he really did eat them. But instead of taking that as a good enough sign, César waits for a few more minutes, staring intensely at Rex, waiting for his brother to drop dead or something. When nothing happens, César grins widely and digs in. He sighs contentedly as the now warm pasta hits his tongue.

"I didn't even know you could cook," he says lightly in between bites.

"Dude, it's pasta. You literally just boil it in water."

"So what did you do? I mean… What exactly is the occasion?"

Rex puts down his fork and looks seriously at his brother. "I want to change."

"I don't follow."

"César, I don't want to be the person I was before. I'm going to change." He looks meaningfully at his brother until the light bulb turns on over César's head. Then he continues, "But I can't do it alone. Will you help me, _hermano_?"

"You're going to change?" Rex can hear the clinking of the gears as César's brain goes into overdrive, trying to figure out if there's a secret meaning to any of this. "You? Change? What does that even mean?"

"It means I'm not going to be that person anymore." And really, Rex can't get any more specific because he's not even sure who he was. The diary remains still firmly locked, and other than the few tidbits he heard from Six, he really doesn't have anything. "I'm not going to cause trouble. I'm not going to be skipping school. Hell, I'll even try hard in school. I won't go to the hospital a lot and just… you know?"

"But why? I mean… Why now? You've never cared what anyone else thought about what you do." César's starting to look more and more troubled, and Rex is starting to think that maybe this really is a bad idea. But if he really wants to achieve the ideal family of his dreams, then he has to start somewhere.

"I miss my family."

César's eyes widen and he looks like he wants to cry. But then the second's gone and he's grounded himself back in reality. He grits his teeth and looks away. "No," he snarls. "You're going to have to do better than that. Don't tell me what I want to hear, Rex. Tell me the truth."

It's frustrating because it is the truth but César just won't listen to him. He slams his fist on the table, earning his brother's full attention.

"I am telling you the truth," Rex hisses. "I want my family."

And it turns out that is the right thing to do.

Suddenly, César's guard is down and he's looking at Rex with disbelieving relief because he wants this to be the truth. He wants the Rex that he's known to want to change. He wants to be able to play the older brother. And he looks so hopeful that Rex just wants to tell him the truth of everything. But he doesn't. He can't. Not yet, anyways.

"So the bike outside…?"

"I'm returning it first thing tomorrow. Not going to be driving without a license. Actually, will you help me get a license?"

"And school? You're really not going to skip anymore? You're actually going to try?"

"Yes. I'm going to be a good student."

César drops his head in his hands, laughing brokenly. "_¡Dios mío! _If only this was real…"

"You're not dreaming, César."

"That's what you always say." And César pats him on the shoulder before walking out of the kitchen. He wanders off into his room and Rex is left fuming in the kitchen alone.

* * *

Rex wakes to a startled shout. And just as trained, he bolts upright and alert, fists up and ready to fight. But instead of danger, it's just César, who's staring at him with wide eyes.

Now that he stops to think about it, Rex doesn't even remember falling asleep. He remembers struggling to stay awake as he waited for his parents to come home. Looks like they didn't come home at all. Otherwise, they wouldn't have let him sleep in the kitchen alone.

… Would they?

"… It… wasn't a dream…?" César asks slowly, looking around wildly as if to try and prove that last night really was nothing but a dream.

"I told you it wasn't, you dork," Rex grumbles, rubbing his eyes. "Ugh. What time is it?"

"I think you're late for school," César says dumbfounded. As if he's not too sure what he's saying out loud.

"Really? Damn!" Rex hurries upstairs and gets ready, and by the time he returns back downstairs, César is waiting for him by the front door.

"So you're really serious?" he asks, looking at Rex with a little more focus now. "You really want to change?"

"How many times do I have to say it?"

César glances down at his feet for a second before looking back up. "Okay," he says. "I'll help you. But here are my conditions. You have to let me take you to and from school. You're still grounded, you know. And I want to check your homework. And-"

"Okay, okay, can we just get going? I'm late."

* * *

It takes less than two minutes for them to pull up to the school and Rex can't help but to feel that this is a bit of a waste of gas.

"Remember," César says, grabbing Rex's arm before he gets out of the car, "I'm coming to pick you up. Wait for me right here."

Rex laughs and nods. "You're such a worry wart."

Then he's out of the car and in front of the school again. He takes a deep breath before walking forward. It's technically not his first day of school, but it feels like it. Because it's the first day of his brand new life. He grins brightly and walks in.

* * *

It turns out that his English class is meeting in the library for some kind of a book report. The disgruntled hall monitor mutters darkly about how he knows Rex's schedule too well as he drags Rex there (He kindly ignores – or doesn't notices – that Rex still has his backpack). Then Rex is shoved into the library and left there for the teacher to take care of. He receives a simple assignment sheet and no instructions, and he just sort of wanders over towards the rest of the class by the computers.

There's one empty computer by Breach. He's starting to see a pattern with her and empty seats. Cricket spots him and gives him a shy wave, just enough to be acknowledged by Rex and not be called out on by the teacher. At least this means that his friends made their way down the mountain all right (now that he thinks about it, he never checked that, has he?).

"Hey Breach," he greets before sitting down next to her. He drops his backpack next to the computer without looking at it.

She flinches horribly and looks at him from under her bangs for a second before returning to her work. She doesn't show any other signs of registering that he's by her side. Well, he supposes that this is much better than being kidnapped to a pocket dimension and being called favorite.

He turns on the computer and grimaces at the login prompt. He doesn't know what the logins are for the school. Hell, how can he? He stares at the computer, wondering if he should just own up to the fact that he doesn't know anything. Ah jeesh, if only he still had the ability to talk to technology, then this would just be a cinch. He would just place his hand against the computer and things will magically work.

But he doesn't have his nanites anymore.

Rex scratches his head, staring intently at the computer. Perhaps he could will it into submission? He did that once upon a time. He had been much younger than and had just been curious as to what Providence might be keeping secret. So he just gently asked the nanites to help him find the information about Providence and White Knight and then things just…

His train of thought stops because an impossible thing is happening before him. The computer screen goes black with nothing but a small white cursor at the top of the screen. A DOS screen…? But why? He hasn't done anything and…

"Logging in..." The text on the computer reads. Soon after the words "White Knight" appears, followed by what appears to be an IP address. The cursor continues to blink.

"Who is this?" The words are on the screen, but Rex can hear White Knight's annoyed voice clearly in his head. "How are you on this channel? This is a secure line. You need to get off now."

Rex looks down at his hands and then looks back up at the computer screen. Did he just…? But no. That's impossible. He doesn't have any nanites. Nanites don't exist in this world! Then how the hell did he just manage to get on some kind of a secure network where White Knight just happened to be after thinking about Providence and White Knight? Panic sinks in and Rex doesn't really think about what he needs to do. He just reaches over, presses the power button on the computer until it shuts down, and then bolts out of the library.

* * *

A fluke, he finally decides as he runs through the hallways, dodging the hall monitor. There's just no other explanation. Because there's no such thing as nanites and no such thing as Providence. He's just freaking out for no apparent reason. The computer that he sat at was faulty. Breach did something to it. But whatever the strange thought he comes up with, it has nothing to do with nanites. Because they don't exist. They were never created.

Rex chuckles to himself. Really, who's he kidding? Of course it's nothing! There are no nanites in this world. He made sure of that himself. Feeling much better, Rex rounds the corner, following the signs that lead back to the library.

Along the way, he spots a vending machine and decides to humor himself. He doesn't have powers. Watch.

He places his hands against the vending machine and thinks about a cold carbonated drink. He thinks about all the time he's casually asked a machine just like this for free drinks. He thinks and concentrates, and he wills as much power into it as he can. And nothing.

A large grin appears on Rex's face. "See?" he tells himself. "I'm freaking out over nothing."

Then he stops because the vending machine isn't plugged in. He debates the potential consequences and figures that it doesn't matter. He plugs it in. It takes a few seconds for the vending machine to warm up. Then…

It pops out a drink. And another. And another. And…

Rex pulls the plug out as fast as he can. "Oh hell no," he whispers.

* * *

He splashes cold water on his face in the bathroom. After a few seconds, he shrugs and just dunks his head under the running water, using the water to cool the gears in his brain.

_Okay_, he thinks to himself. _I can still talk to technology_. _But how's that even possible? I can't be an EVO in a world where the nanites were never created. This isn't possible. This isn't happening._

He places his hands on either side of the sink and takes a shaky breath. _But it is. It is happening. And right now, what I need isn't denial. It's…_

A shrill bell sounds, letting the students know that class has ended. Rex takes a deep breath again, trying to drown out the sound so that he can think. What he needs right now is-

"Hey Rex?"

He spins on his heels, fists up and ready for a fight. But what he sees is Walter, who's giving him a wide-eyed look. Walter has his hands up in front of him, and he's holding out Rex's backpack.

"Dude man, chill. It's me."

The bell stops, leaving the two of them in the sudden silence.

"Sorry," Rex says finally. "You startled me, Sqwydd."

Walter gives him a goofy smile at that. "Cricket told me that you ditched class. Let me guess, you got a message from Quarry?"

A snarl forms at Rex's lips, and Walter takes a step back.

"Dude, it's me. It's me. I'm not Tuck. Don't snap."

Rex has no idea what that means. To be honest, he's not sure he wants to know. So instead, he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Breathing exercises. It doesn't really calm him down at all, but he must appear calmer, because Walter looks marginally less terrified.

"Not Quarry," Rex says finally.

"Okay… I'm guessing I'm not allowed to know?"

"Sorry."

"It doesn't have to do with the green suit, does it?"

Rex freezes. Six. That's right. What is it that Six said? _"Who are you? And what do you know about White Knight and-"_

Six knows White Knight. White Knight thinks that his secure network was just hacked. Sooner or later, the two are going to be able to put it together that it was Rex. And then what? What kind of horrible trouble would he get into? Worst still, what if they find out about his ability? What would happen to him then?

"… Rex?"

"I need to go."

* * *

There are the beginnings of a plan forming in Rex's head. But first, he needs to contact César. He needs to find a doctor. Damn it, why the hell did he think that it would be a good idea to rewrite the universe? Why the hell did he think that this was a good idea? Because he sorely misses Holiday and Six and Bobo and-

A loud crash echoes in the halls, silencing the students lingering before the next bell that signals the beginning of class. The crash continues and everyone cranes their heads to figure out what's going on. Rex doesn't need to look to know what's going on. From the general direction of the sound, it must be the vending machine. Someone must have plugged it in and it must be spewing out free drinks.

He pushes it out of his mind and wades through the crowd. He needs to get to a phone. He needs to call up César or something and figure out about his abilities. What are his limits? What can he do with it? More importantly, he needs to figure out how he's going to take care of the Six and White Knight problem.

A hand grabs Rex's shoulder, and Rex spins, about to punch them for getting in his way. But he stops.

Because it's Bobo who's glaring down at him with his one eye. He bares his teeth widely, in the same way that Bobo the monkey used to whenever he was angry. Except when little Bobo did it, Rex could just write it off as temper tantrums of his roommate and ignore him. The human Bobo is taller than Rex by quite a lot, and is actually an imposing figure.

"Salazar," he growls, his voice dripping with venom and glee. "You are in so much trouble."


	6. Of Principals and Scans

Bobo takes him to the principal's office, dragging Rex there by the arm. He looks at Rex straight in the eyes and says, "I hope you suffer." Then he leaves, chuckling under his breath and looking much too pleased with himself. It makes Rex a little worried about exactly what he's done in the past to make the former-monkey this spiteful of him.

The secretary is a woman of thin and wiry disposition with an air of snobbery about her. She pushes up her wire-framed glasses and snippily tells him that the principal is busy right now so he needs to wait. It's obnoxious, but at least it gives him time to sit and think about what exactly is going on. And now that he stops to think about it, isn't this a good time to grab a map or his schedule…?

"We don't have any to waste on you," is the only answer he receives to his request.

Jeesh, what's wrong with these people?

* * *

César arrives in ten minutes. He is fuming and gnashing his teeth in a unhealthy manner. But when he spots Rex, he just sighs and looks away, looking more frustrated and annoyed. It takes a second for Rex to realize why César isn't lashing out at him. César isn't angry at Rex. He's mad at himself.

"César..." Rex begins but he's cut short.

"No. I don't want to hear it," César snaps. "I _trusted_ you."

"I don't even know what I did. I was on my best behavior, _hermano_." Rex doesn't mention anything about accidentally hacking into some kind of a secure network or the green-suited man who's been trailing him.

His brother sighs and looks away again, signaling the end of the conversation. Rex growls lowly but he doesn't push it. And it's only then that the snobby secretary informs them that the principal is ready to see them now. Rex takes a deep breath. It won't help him if he looses his temper at the principal.

* * *

The principal is a balding man who gulps nervously at the sight of the Salazar brothers. He doesn't mention that their parents aren't here, and instead just turns to César with fake sincerity.

"Caesar," he says, blatantly mispronouncing César's name. "It has been a while. I hope your research is going well?"

César doesn't even bother to smile. He glares at the principal and demands, "What did my brother do?"

The principal glances nervously at Rex before stuttering to answer. "Ah. Well… you see..."

Rex crosses his arms and lean back against the wall. César raises a brow, clearly unimpressed by this. The principal finally takes a deep breath and finally informs them all of the problem at hand.

"It's the vending machine. Rex fiddled with it to dispense free drinks."

Rex blinks. Wait what? You mean this isn't about Six or White Knight? It's about the damned vending machine? You can get into trouble for giving people free drinks?

"That's it?" César asks incredulously. Rex can see the impatience clear in César's form and he has to hold back the laughter. He has the front row seats to watch his principal get murdered by César. Now how's that for irony? "You interrupted my time-sensitive research for a _vending machine_?!"

"Caesar, you don't understand..."

"No, I understand perfectly well what's going on. You can't stand the fact that you can't pin anything on Rex, so you decided to waste my time on something that doesn't even matter. We are done here. Call me for something this trivial again, and I will shut you down."

Then César grabs Rex's arm and drags him out. He drags Rex out of the office and into a quiet hall out of hearing distance from the office.

"Rex, be honest. Did you or didn't you tinker with the vending machine?"

"Hehe… about that…" Rex clears his throat. "I did, but it was for a really good cause."

César drops Rex's arm as if he's been burnt and finally lets out the pent up frustration.

"What the hell, Rex? I thought you were going to change!"

"I'm telling you, it was for a good cause and-"

"I _trusted_ you. You can't keep doing this to me. You can't keep toying with human hearts like this, Rex. You need to-"

"César, you need to take me to a hospital."

His brother goes quiet, his face unreadable. "What's going on, Rex?" he asks finally.

"Frankly? I don't know. I think the hospital will help me figure it out."

César rubs his temples, considering this very carefully. He looks back up at Rex, who's staring back at him evenly and seriously. With a small sigh, he says, "Please don't make me regret this."

* * *

The drive to the hospital is surprisingly quiet. Rex has guessed that César would have lots of questions, but his brother's lips remain tightly shut. It works for him, because he's not too sure how to answer any questions that César might ask.

When they arrive, Rex doesn't hesitate to bolt out of the car, ready to rush into the hospital. He only pauses when he realizes that César is not following him.

"_Hermano,_ you waiting for an explicit invitation?"

César looks a little surprised at that. "You want me to come with you?"

"Yes, you dork. Of course I want you there. Hell, I'm sure I'm going to need you in there."

César hesitates at first. Like he's not sure if he just hallucinated the last few seconds or if maybe he's waiting for Rex to stick out his tongue and say that this was all just a giant prank or something. Then he takes a deep breath and cuts the engine off. He walks over to Rex, giving his brother a nervous smile. He locks the car door, and the two walk into the hospital.

* * *

"Rex?" Dr. Rhodes looks worried as she makes her way towards the Salazar brothers. "Are you okay? You don't look particularly injured..."

"I'm fine, doc," Rex promises with a charming smile. "Actually, I was wondering if I can get a full body scan."

Both Rhodes and César look alarmed at that. "If you're fine," Rhodes says slowly, "then why do you need a full body scan?"

"Well, here's the thing. I can't legally tell you anything until I'm certain of what happened."

Rhodes and César exchange a worried glance.

"I can't just schedule you in for a full body scan, Rex. There are procedures to this kind of things and-"

"Then get me Holiday. If she gives the okay, then it doesn't matter, right?"

Rhodes' face pales, but she shakily nods her head. "But Rex," she says, her voice firm and resolute, "just because you're a Salazar and just because you're you, you can't expect to get special treatment. You understand that, right?"

* * *

It turns out that Rhodes' worries are for naught, because once Holiday spots Rex, she gives the okay without even bothering to listen to everything. She does follow them, though, looking a little curious and at the same time a little worried as to what she just agreed to.

Rex places his hands against the machine. He closes his eyes and thinks carefully about the old machines that Holiday used to use to get his biometric information. The simple fact that Holiday is in the same room helps. He thinks as much as he can about back then, thinking about the nanites and the machine's ability to see it. And once he feels satisfied that it's going to work, he turns to the rest of the people.

"Okay," he declares, "I'm ready."

"But Rex, why are you getting a body scan?" César asks, looking around at the room in a mixture of worry and awe. He probably wants to take apart some of the equipment, just to see how it works. At least he's prioritizing Rex right now.

"I'll tell you everything once I've confirmed this, okay?" Otherwise he might just sound like some kind of a crazy person, and that's not the impression he wants to give to Holiday.

Rhodes looks like she wants to protest, but Holiday nods. "It better be a good explanation."

* * *

Rex closes his eyes and breathes out. The scanner thumps as it goes through, snapping the pictures it needs. And if Rex is correct, it should take pictures of the nanites in his body, if they really exist. If not… If not, then all of this is a fluke and he's just a normal kid. There's no such thing as nanites and he doesn't have the power to talk to technology.

Then the sounds stop, and the intercom switch on.

"Rex?" Holiday asks, her voice that achingly familiar sternness, "What is this?"

He closes his eyes. _Damn_, he thinks. _Damn it all_.

* * *

"What does this mean?" Holiday asks, shoving the scans in Rex's face. "And what the hell did you do to my machine?"

Rex can't answer. He takes the scans out from Holiday's hands and stares at it. Half of him wants to cry and the other half just wants to rip it apart and pretend that none of this ever happened. Because this isn't right. This just can't be the truth. What the hell? How can there be nanites in his body? How can nanites exist in a world where they weren't created?

"Please tell me that this isn't some kind of a drug," César whispers, his voice low and etched with concern.

"It's not a drug," Rex manages to choke out. "It's…"

And he realizes that if nanites indeed exist, then that means he can command the diary to open. His eyes widen and a startled gasp leaves his throat. He can't hesitate. He can't waste any more time. He can finally figure out what his illusive past is.

He spins on his heels and runs. Right before leaving the room completely, he shouts, "César, can you reset the machine for Holiday? I'll meet you back in the car!"

* * *

Rex gets back to the car in what he considers a record time (he doesn't actually know if it is or not). Without hesitating, he orders the car doors to open and watches slightly amused as the car obeys. There's no doubt now. Nanites exist. He doesn't know how or why, but they do. But the most important question isn't that. The most important question is his past. What was he like? How is he related to Quarry? Why is his and Noah's relationship like this? He's finally going to get the answer he's been seeking since he woke up at the hospital.

He grabs his backpack and begins to search through it, a giant grin on his face. Ten seconds later, the grin wavers. Twenty seconds later, he's dumped everything out of his backpack onto the parking lot, staring in disbelief.

The diary isn't here.

He searches through his pockets. He kicks things around. But no matter where he looks, he just can't find it. The diary is gone, and he has no idea where it is. The last time he had it, it was when he was at Tuck's place. He had it in his pocket then. And then what? What happened afterwards? What did he do with the diary? Why can't he remember? Did he have it on him when he encountered Six again? Did he have it when Cain gave him a ride? Did he have it when he cooked? Did he have it in school?

"Rex Salazar."

Rex freezes at the sound of that voice. Oh no, no, no. Of all the people to find him now, why _her_? Why now? Can't she see that he's busy and that he can't take her presence right now? He slowly looks up, a controlled neutral look on his face. "Black Knight," he greets.

She raises a brow at that. "You know me? I'm impressed."

Damn it! Of course he doesn't know someone like Black Knight. She's… What is she in this universe? She can't be the leader of Providence, since Providence doesn't exist. Except maybe Providence does exist since nanites do as well? Rex frowns. This is starting to get really complicated…

"I wanted to see just what kind of a man had _him_ stumped, but you're nothing but a kid," Black Knight says, shaking her head. "A kid that knows too much."

"What do you want?"

"Consider this… a greeting. Or a warning. Whichever you prefer. It doesn't really matter to me."

"What are you warning me of?"

She smiles but it doesn't reach her eyes. It's just the stretch of the lips, almost like she's exercising the muscles. "You have incurred the attention of those that you do not want to deal with. Believe me when I say that your future doesn't look too great."

"Why are you telling me this?" Rex's shoulders are tense. His fingers flex above one of his binders. If things get rough, at least he has this as a weapon.

"I think we can work out a deal."

Rex scoffs. "A deal? With you? Yeah, I'd rather deal with the rocky future."

"Your file said you'd be arrogant."

Just where is everyone getting said file on him when Rex can't even find his stupid diary? He snaps his teeth together and grins ferally. "Lady, that's not even half of it."

Black Knight laughs. "Then good luck," she says lightly. She pulls out a business card and presses it into Rex's hand. "In case you change your mind."

Then she's gone, leaving Rex alone in the parking lot.

* * *

By the time César comes back, Rex is sitting inside the car. His things are back in the backpack, flung haphazardly in the backseat. César gives him a worried look before sitting down in the driver's seat. He doesn't start the engine.

"Rex…" he begins and stops. He runs his hand through his hair, looking far more frustrated than when he walked into the school earlier that day. "The scan back there… You promised an answer."

"I know. I'm just… trying to figure out how to phrase it." _So I don't sound completely insane_, Rex doesn't add. "It's… hard, you know?"

"Start from the beginning then. What was that scan? What were you looking for? And I'm going to guess that you found it, judging by your reaction to the scan."

Rex takes a deep breath. "César, I'm looking for nanites."

"Nan…?"

"It lets me do things I shouldn't be able to." Rex places his hand against the dashboard of the car. Few minutes later, the radio switches on to a classic channel. "I can manipulate technology."

César looks blank for a second before his eyes widen. "Whua-?" he whispers. "How? But…? That's…?"

"I know, it's kind of hard to take in right now but-"

"For how long?" César demands. There's a strange look in his eyes that makes Rex uneasy, but Rex answers as honestly as he can.

"As long as I can remember."

César tilts his head, looking at his younger brother carefully. Then he gulps before asking, "And when was your memory reset?"

Rex blinks. "You know about my memory problem?"

"Never mind that, Rex. Tell me. When did you lose your memory?"

"The night you picked me up at the hospital after the motorcycle accident."

César closes his eyes and drops his face in his hands. "Is that why you wanted to change? Because you've lost too much memory this time?"

Rex nods. He doesn't have the heart to correct César, not to mention he can't exactly say the full truth. So this will have to do. He's just going to blame everything on the memory loss, and he's going to rely on his brother to help him out. Surely with someone as smart as César around, they'll finally be able to get to the bottom of this.

"Rex…. Why didn't you tell…" César trails off, probably because he himself knows the answer. "_¡Dios mío!_ Of all the problems…"

"There's… One more thing."

César looks up at Rex, waiting for the next bomb.

"There's… a strange guy in a green suit that's been following me around."

"Do you know who...?"

Rex bites his lips. "He's... considered the sixth most dangerous person in the world."

César tenses. "But why would someone like that-"

"I don't remember. I was hoping that you knew something."

"No." César looks like he wants to cry again. Like he can't quite decide if he hates himself or the situation at hand more. "You've never trusted me like this before. We've... We've never been close." Then he stops as if realizing something. "But Rex... If you've forgotten and you're going to change... How are the freaks - I mean Quarry and the rest - going to react?"


	7. Interlude: Let's Talk about Rex

To be honest, I wanted to write something like this since Chapter 2, but feared that it would give too much away. But I think we're at a good time to explain a few things, no? Also, I should make it very clear that this doesn't advance plot or anything, so _you don't have to read it._ It's just for adding details and also because César's mind fascinates me.

So without any further ado, I give you… César Salazar…

* * *

César has been called many things in his life. A genius, insane, crazy, that creepy guy, the know-it-all… But the one thing that he's never been called is "good brother" or any variation of it. And to be honest, it's never bothered him before. That's just the way things are, he'd always think. Just as there is no such thing as 100% certainty in science, César Salazar is not a perfect brother.

He takes a gulpful of the alcohol, making a face as the bourbon hits his tongue. No matter how many times he's done this tonight, he just can't seem to get used to that taste.

"I bet you're a riot at parties," his drinking buddy remarks. His voice is dripping with sarcasm and César realizes a little belatedly that he must be speaking out loud.

"But you… You don't understand," César says. He hates that his voice is slurred and that he feels like he's slowly losing grip on his body. He hates the feeling of loss that comes with drinking. It's why he's always avoided reasons to drink like the plague. But tonight… Tonight…

"No, I'm pretty sure I understand just fine," his buddy tells him. "You, my friend, have a serious brother complex."

"Rex is just…" César stops, trying to come up with the right word. But his brain is foggy with alcohol and he just can't quite seem to grasp the word. "Rex is just… Rex. And when I first held him in my arms, I knew it then, you know?"

"Oh gods, I'm going to hurl," his buddy grumbles lowly.

"The design schematics for this world are messed up. How the hell can anything be accomplished when we as human kind doesn't have the optimal design? We are flawed. The only was to fix it is to redesign it."

"Redesign the human kind? Wait, you learned all of this when you first held Rex?"

César grins. "Exactly. My first attempt was Zag-RS. But she was too flawed. She just didn't get it. And Alpha... Oh man, Alpha was a mistake."

"Wait... I think I heard about that. Didn't you destroy the MIT labs? And…"

"And I was expelled."

"Is that what it was? I thought there was a bit more than just that. Something like being forbidden to work in labs or something?"

"They have no power over that. They just made it so that I can never graduate." César shrugs. "But who cares about that? Rex, man. _Rex_."

His buddy sighs. "Okay, I'll bite. What about your brother?"

"Did you know that he's never seen mom and dad happy? Because the world, you see, ended two months before he was born."

"No, I'm pretty sure the world is still here."

"It ended…" César looks down at his drink. "Before that moment, everything was happy. Everything was fine. We were a family that most people dreamed about having. Then the phone call came in and they shut down the labs. Mom and dad were out of jobs. It was the first time I've seen them yell at each other. And you know what's sad? I actually think Rex wouldn't have turned out the way he did if it wasn't for that moment."

"If he had caring parents, you mean?"

"Except it's not just their fault. It never is…" César takes a swing of bourbon and grimace at the taste. Faintly, in the back of his mind, he wonders if this really is a good idea. Should he really trust this person next to him and tell him everything? But right now, the usual firm control he has on his body and mind is gone and all he can do is clutch tightly to the bar stool so he doesn't fall off.

"I wasn't there for him either," César continues. "When we were much younger, Angela was convinced that I was trying to kill Rex."

"… Excuse me?"

"See, one night, Rex wouldn't stop crying. And mom and dad weren't going to do something about it, so I just… smothered the sound by placing a pillow over his head."

"Uh…"

"Angela walked in and freaked. She tried to get my parents to care about it. They did for a while. But really distractedly. Like they could care less, you know? But Angela cared. She kept a close watch on me and Rex after that. So when I was taking care of Rex and he got a little banged up and started to bleed…" César stops for a second, lost in the memory. He can still remember Angela's face, rage and concern all rolled into one. The way she pleaded with her employers to care about their sons. The way Rex cried, becoming more frightened by Angela's anger than the pain.

"I think that's the first time I realized that I can't fix humans. I can redesign them all I want. I can invent Zag-RS and Alpha and any other AIs, but I can't fix humans. I don't know how to make it so that they won't cry. I don't know how to make it so that they won't bleed. And worst of all, I don't know how to make it better once they've been hurt or broken."

Some guy in a green suit walks into the bar and slides into the bar stool on the other side of César. But by now, César's on a roll and he barely notices. He's stuck in the past, and there's plenty of alcohol in his system, and he can't stop now. It feels like someone's ripped open a Band-Aid that's just been keeping the blood in instead of stopping it, because the blood is pouring out, thick and red.

"So I stopped reaching out to Rex. I pulled away from him. And I think I helped mold him into the cold person he is by doing that. I didn't realize it until too late, but he started to rely more and more on those he shouldn't trust. He actually thought that he could trust that third-rate lab hack. It's what broke his arm. And that's the first time he went to Holiday Hospital."

"Uh... So the third-rate lab hack is...?"

"Van Kleiss. I can't believe they'd still let him get a job after what he did, let alone with children. He's working at a high school right now. At Rex's high school, no less." César glowers before finishing off his glass.

His buddy quickly orders him another glass, and César continues with his story.

"Before that moment, Rex still trusted me. But something happened in the hospital and while with Van Kleiss. Because Rex… he changed after that. Before, he used to tell Angela and me about how he's going to be a successful scientist too, because that's what Salazars do. He used to draw a lot. Schematics and designs and diagrams… All for the purpose of becoming a better scientist. But after that hospital visit…"

César accepts the new glass of bourbon with gratitude. He wets his lips with the alcohol, body shuddering at the taste. He's just never going to get used to this, isn't he?

"He no longer reached out to me. At the time, I thought it was a good thing. I thought I'll be fine with that. In fact, it's better this way for everyone involved. I'm not meant for human contact anyways! I'm just going to end up hurting Rex, and Rex is better off with other people who can be human for him." César buries his face in his hands. "Ah… If only I had reached out to him then. If only I could've been a good brother to him…"

"So that's the start then?" his buddy asks softly. "That's the beginning of Rex Salazar the legend? One visit to the hospital?"

"Yes." César gulps down the glass, not caring about the taste anymore. He wants to forget. He's buried all the feelings down in his heart and letting them out felt so freeing…

"So what changed?" His buddy is giving him a curious look now. "Why do you care so much about your brother now? You were at a place mentally where you couldn't accept human interaction. And yet now, you crave to be able to reach out to him. But why? What changed?"

César mulls over this. What changed? Everything changed. Wasn't that obvious? Everything that he thought he ever knew, this entire universe, turned on its head and shook and shook and shook until César couldn't figure out what was up and what was down. Until César realized that he didn't have to hide from his brother in fear that he was going to hurt him. "I overheard Rex talking."

"On the phone? With a friend?"

"To his diary. He was recording his thoughts because he was scared out of his wits. He was having blackouts. He was having moments when he would wake up and realize that there were holes in his memory. He was losing his mind and no one around him cared. No one reached out to him. Hell, at that point, I think he didn't even know how to reach out and ask for help. He must've been so alone, trying to figure things out by himself..."

"And I realized…" César absentmindedly rubs his temples. "I realized that I _can_ fix that. I realized that humans are flawed and imperfect, and I can't fix their design, but I can come up with a solution to some of them. I can find out how to stop someone from losing their memory. I can help them regain it if they do lose it. It's a simple enough algorithm. All I have to do is recreate what I did with Zag-RS and Alpha except for the human mind. I can help Rex."

"But you're not allowed to conduct researches."

"Legally and officially, I'm not. But there are plenty of people who go behind the government. The Consortum was just convinent, because they shared my vision. They fund my research and I will cure Rex. And that will do it, I thought. If I can find the cure to Rex's memory problem, he's going to accept me again. We're going to be able to be the family we used to be, and I..."

César doesn't even realize that he's crying until his buddy hands over a napkin to him. "I'm not usually like this," he mumbles, wiping away the tears and trying to remember how to control himself. "But damn it, it's _Rex_."

"Yeah, yeah. I hear you." His buddy's voice is gruff, but he doesn't joke about it. Not anymore. He gives César the time to gather himself.

"I messed up," César mumbles. "I thought that the research is all I need to piece my family together again. I thought that's all I needed. But then yesterday, Rex opened up to me. He actually looked me in the eye and told me that he needs my help. He's the frightened little boy, who's scraped his knee again. He came to me, to make things better. To make him better. That's why... That's why..."

"And that's why you called me," his buddy concludes with a grin. "In order to help your brother."

"That's right. I tried some other people first. But everyone ran the other way when they heard the name Rex Salazar."

"Well, yeah. Don't you know what your brother have done?"

"No, I don't. And don't bother telling me now, because I doubt I'll remember anything come morning. But eventually. Eventually, I'd like to know. I'd like to know, but I want it to be him telling me. I want to hear it from him." César takes a deep breath. "Black Knight suggested that you might be the only person who'll agree to this job. She cautioned me though. That you're kind of..."

"Crazy? Oh please. If I wasn't, I wouldn't have taken this job." His buddy replies easily with a shrug. "Don't worry, Mr. Brother-Complex. I'll make sure that little Rexy is safe, especially from himself. I've been meaning to look more into this guy anyways. And if I get paid for it, then it's even better for me."

"Thank you," César says, digging the heel of his palm into his eyes. "I can't thank you enough."

"Now, do you have a way back or do I get paid extra to take you home?"

"I have a way back."

"Good. Good. Then I leave the tab to you. Great doing business with you, Mr. Salazar."

"Likewise… Gatlocke."


	8. Of Cellphones and Challenges

Wow, I'm on fire this weekend.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to go to school?"

Rex raises a brow at his brother, who's nursing his head. "We talked about this, remember? I'm going to be fine, César. I just need to figure out where my diary went… Besides, isn't the more important question what you were doing last night, getting drunk?"

"A… friend wanted to get together and talk."

César? Friend? Yeah right. But Rex doesn't push it. César isn't the one trying to prove his innocence in this world. In this world, it's Rex who has to convince César of his innocence. And if that means César gets to keep secrets, then fine. Besides, it's not like Rex is telling him the complete truth anyways. He can't, after all.

"Want me to drive you?"

"_Hermano_, you reek of alcohol. Go take a shower or something. I'll be fine."

César nods slowly, mumbling darkly under his breath as he walks towards the kitchen. Jeesh, brothers.

* * *

Tuck is waiting for him outside, looking a little worse for wear. The minute he hears the door open, he glances up and looks just so relieved that it's Rex.

"Hey," Rex greets, feeling a little worried. "You alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Where are the others?"

"They… We'll see them later." Tuck smiles, a forced smile that makes Rex cringe just looking at it. Something's definitely wrong, but Rex feels like he doesn't know these guys well enough to comment on it.

"Did you guys fight?"

There's a dark look in Tuck's eyes but he doesn't affirm or deny. He just motions for them to get going.

* * *

"Tuck, that's not the way to school," Rex points out when Tuck takes a different turn.

He turns to look at Rex with an unreadable expression. Then he says, "I need to talk to you. Away from any prying eyes. Come on."

Rex has a choice here. He can ignore his friend and go to school like the good little student that he promised César he'd be. Or he can be a good friend and listen. The choice here is so obvious that Rex doesn't even hesitate. He follows Tuck.

* * *

They come to what looks to be an abandoned factory. But that's not quite the right description. It is abandoned by any corporations, for sure. But it's obviously been reclaimed by others. It becomes that much more obvious as Tuck leads Rex through the wreckage of the factory and there are still electricity humming through the area, lighting their way. Then finally, they come to a room with a red curtain for a door.

Tuck gives Rex a look before walking inside. Rex follows.

The inside of the room is something that Rex doesn't expect. There's a giant couch against the wall with a blanket and pillow on it, letting Rex know that someone's been using this place as a temporary place to stay. On the adjacent wall, there are bookshelves filled with comics, toys, and random things that Rex suspects are trophies from various things that have happened. There is a desk against the wall across from the couch, and a small fridge next to it. The rest of the room is filled with posters, clothes, and other junk that normal teens have that were missing from Rex's room. Tuck doesn't have to clarify for Rex to realize what this place is. But despite that, he has to ask.

"Is this…?"

"Yeah," Tuck says. He's watching Rex carefully, as if waiting for something. "It's your place."

And suddenly, things click into place. The reason why César had been so angry that first night when Rex didn't sleep in his room. The reason why Angela flipped out when she found him in the living room. The reason why that room felt so stuffy and inorganic, like nothing can live there. The reason why César was so shocked to see him late at night in the kitchen. It's because Rex doesn't live there in that house. At least, not really.

"But… But why do I…?"

Tuck sighs heavily. "I was hoping that bringing you here would spark a memory. Nothing, huh?"

Rex shakes his head and feels guilty for it. Of course it won't spark a memory. Everything that has happened, everything that this Tuck had experienced (that César had experienced) was with a different Rex. And standing here, pretending to be the person that these people care about leaves a nasty taste in his mouth.

"How long have I been living here?"

Tuck shrugs. "If you don't know it then no one does. By the time we've met, you were already using this place."

Rex walks around, taking a closer look at the things that have been gathered. Maybe he can piece together what he sees here to the person he was before. Maybe there's a clue, a hint, something…

His eyes land on the cellphone on the desk. Can it be…? He picks it up and flips it open. The low battery warning pops up, but it still lets him look through the phone. There are 105 missing calls, 36 voice messages, and 342 text messages. He flips through the missing calls and notes that there are few from Cricket, few from Tuck, few from César, few from the Holiday Hospital, and the rest are from Quarry. He doesn't want to know what the voice messages or the text messages contain.

"Hey Tuck… Why did you bring me here?" Rex pockets the phone and turns to his friend. "I know you said that you wanted me to remember, but you didn't really care whether I remembered or not before. What happened? What's changed? Does it have to do with the others? Did you guys fight?"

Tuck's eyes are dark and his smile doesn't quite reach his eyes. "Do you trust me, Rex?" he asks, completely derailing Rex's questions.

"You know I do."

"True. The you right now seem to trust me just fine…"

Rex doesn't understand what that means at all. But before he can voice his question, Tuck moves on.

"If I do something bad… Would you forgive me?"

"What? Tuck, I don't care what you did. We're friends. Friends forgive each other for no matter what." At least that's what Tuck and the others have taught him way back when. No matter what kind of "horrible thing" you do, friends are supposed to back each other. That's what it means to be friends, right?

But Tuck's face doesn't lighten. He doesn't look relieved at all. Instead, his expression darkens and the fake smile doesn't leave. He looks like a complete stranger and all Rex wants to do is punch him until he returns to the Tuck who played games with him and took him to the mountains. Just what the hell happened…?

"Why don't I take you to school? You want to be a good student for César, right?" Tuck says instead. Lightly, almost as if he's scared of showing his true feelings.

"Tuck…"

"Don't make that kind of angry face, Rex. I told you, didn't I? I'll take care of it."

Rex wants to point out that that doesn't reassure him at all. But instead, he finds himself reluctantly agreeing. Tuck will tell him in time, he decides. Because that's also what it means to be friends.

* * *

Tuck waves him goodbye and goes the other direction, clearly intending to miss school. Rex doesn't really get it, but he heads inside anyways. Half of him wonders if he's really doing the right thing. Should he be going after Tuck right now? He hesitates and looks back, but Tuck is long gone. Even if Rex is to go after him now, he highly doubts that he'll find his friend.

With a heavy sigh, Rex walks into the halls of the school. And stops.

Which class does he go to now? He's gotten used to one day's schedule, but the schedule alternates every day, doesn't it? Well, there's just one thing to do, isn't there? Rex brazenly walks around until he runs into the hall monitor.

* * *

Classes are boring and the people around him give him a wide berth. There's no sign of Cricket or Circe or Sqwydd, and Rex is starting to wonder if maybe they're all gathered with Tuck, doing whatever "I'll take care of it" means. It makes for a boring lunch, made worse by the fact that the cellphone feels like deadweight in his pocket, reminding him of the messages that he should check.

"Well, well, not so mighty without your pals, are you?"

Noah.

Rex closes his eyes for a second to remind himself that this isn't his best friend. The Noah that he played basketball with is not here. Then he opens his eyes and turns to face Noah with a cocky smirk on his face.

"Says the guy who almost pissed himself when he saw me." It's surprising just how easy it is to slip into the mask of an arrogant jerk. And Rex mentally winces because that is _not_ how you make friends.

Rex watches with fascination as Noah freezes for a second, pure fear flashing in his eyes. Then he takes a small breath and grins, trying to look confident. But the fear is still there in the depths, and Rex just doesn't get it. What did he do to make Noah this afraid? What is Noah afraid he'll do?

"Be arrogant now all you want, Salazar. But you are going down."

"Really? What makes you so sure?"

Noah grins, figuring that he finally has the advantage. "Because great pride comes before a great fall. And believe me, you're going to fall hard."

"Then why don't we have a friendly competition?"

The fear flashes in Noah's eyes again. And before he can interrupt him, Rex continues on.

"You and I will play table tennis in the tournament!"

"… What? There's no such thing as a table tennis tournament."

Rex blinks. Right. Different worlds. But how can such a beloved sport vanish like that? Then again, it makes sense as to why Noah is part of the basketball team instead of the table tennis team…

"No problem, we'll just start one," Rex declares with a shrug. "You and me will fight everyone else and win!"

"Wait. Why am I on your team?"

Rex holds up his hand. "Hear me out. We'll be a team and we'll win the tournament. That way, it will be clear to you and everyone else that we don't have to be fighting anymore. We can start over. Be friends again. A clean slate, you know?"

"And if we lose?"

"We won't."

"And if we lose?" Noah repeats, more forcefully this time.

Rex sighs. "Uh… I'll… I'll be your slave for a week?"

Noah blinks, blankly looking at Rex for a bit. Then he slowly starts to grin. "Rex Salazar as my slave? Are you stupid or something? Of course I'll lose on purpose!"

"No you won't. You value our friendship too much for that."

A dark look passes on Noah's face. "You pompous little-"

The bell rings shrilly, cutting off the rest of Noah's curses. Rex just casually stands up, stretches, and waves Noah goodbye.

* * *

After that, school seems to be over in a blink of an eye. Rex hums lightly as he heads out, feeling quite pleased with himself. The entire student body is a buzz with the declaration of the table tennis match, and it seems to be catching on pretty fast. Whether this is because of the condition that "if Rex loses, he'll be Noah's slave" or not, Rex isn't too sure.

As he heads back home, he hears the familiar sound of a fight. Figuring he doesn't need to be back as soon as school is over, he decides to check it out.

Behind the bleachers, few of the burry jocks seem to be ganging up on some people. Rex can hazily make out the shapes, but he can't be too sure. He knows that this isn't his business. He knows that he probably shouldn't be involved.

But he also knows that he's not that kind of a person who walks away from these scenes.

"Hey! What's going on here?"

The jocks snarl and turn to glare, and freezes.

"Salazar," comes the hushed whisper. Then they quickly straighten themselves up, trying to look composed.

"We're just teaching these brats a lesson," one of them explains, almost eagerly.

And now that they've stopped ganging up on the victims, Rex can finally see that it's Biowulf and Skalamander. Well, their human versions, anyways. The first thing that he remembers is all the time that the Pack has caused him trouble in the other world. But then he chides himself because he said he wouldn't compare anymore.

"Don't bother these guys anymore," Rex commands. "From now on, they'll be under my protection."

The jocks look like they want to protest, but then they think it over carefully. And with a soft, "Good luck with the table tennis match," they disperse, leaving the two on the ground and Rex.

"We didn't need your help!" The shout is accompanied by someone grabbing Rex by the collar, shaking him slightly. "And we sure as hell won't be your toys!"

"Hey, relax. I just wanted them to back off without causing a big deal."

"No one asked you to butt in," Biowulf growls. Skalamander looks just as angry as he glares at Rex.

"But don't you see? I need your help."

"Huh?"

"You guys probably heard about the Table Tennis tournament, right? I need other people to participate in it. Won't you-"

"No." With that curt answer, Biowulf releases Rex. And with the snarl never leaving his lips, he spits on the ground, and leaves.

Skalamander looks at Rex for a second and sighs. "No," he repeats, softly. Then he's gone, too, following after Biowulf in a slight clumsy kind of way.

Rex scratches the back of his head. "I guess I shouldn't push for too much change all at once," he mumbles to himself.

"I didn't think you could do something so unselfish."

"Aw, you know me Six! I'm just a good-" Rex stops in mid-sentence when it registers who he's talking to.

Six is leaning against a support beam for the bleachers. His sunglass is on, so Rex can't quite tell what he's looking at, but he's pretty sure that Six has seen everything that's happened. Without hesitation, he turns to run, but Six grabs him by the shoulder.

"Not this time," he says.

Rex throws a punch, but instead of dodging it, Six just grabs it. It's a stalemate and Rex hates it, because he's finally caught and he can't be (at least not yet when he still hasn't figured everything out yet). He wrecks his brain, trying to figure out a way out. There has to be something. He knows that if he tries to fight, Six is no longer going to try and dodge, in case Rex runs again. He needs a new plan…

"Now, we need to talk," Six says. "Rex Salazar, you are an enigma."

With his free hand, Rex begins to search through his pockets. Something that can be used as a weapon. Or a distraction. Or just something that'll get him out of here. Something like… His hands wrap around the cell phone. He can use this. But should he? It's one of the few links he has to his past, now that his diary is gone. But it's not like he can get away from Six if he doesn't use it…

Decisions, decisions. He closes his eyes briefly, concentrating all the memory that he has of explosions into the small cellphone. It doesn't have to do damage, he thinks. It just has to be loud and bright enough that it distracts Six for a bit…

"You know things that no one else should. I want to know why and how. More importantly-"

Rex takes out his phone. Six raises a brow, looking completely unimpressed. With a grin, Rex throws the phone harshly to the ground, and just as he had commanded his nanites to do so, the phone explodes in bright lights and smoke.

It's enough confusion for Six to release Rex. And that's more than enough for Rex to start running. He hears the sounds of footsteps close behind, so he knows that the cellphone didn't buy him that much time. But being on the run is always better than being caught.

With that thought in mind, Rex runs.


	9. Of Gatlocke and Circe

WARNING: This chapter implies attempted suicide and domestic abuse.

* * *

He realizes that maybe this is the wrong way when he doesn't encounter the rows and rows of houses. Instead, he's running through some kind of a business district with shops everywhere, and he's just so damned confused. Who came up with the design for this damned town?

The steadily gaining footsteps behind him let Rex know that he's still being pursued. It appears that Six is determined to not lose him this time. He grits his teeth and picks up his speed. Can't get caught. Can't get caught. Can't get-

Rex bumps into someone at full speed. At the sudden stop, he feels his body unbalance and begins to tumble. A hand grabs Rex, and before he knows it, he's pressed between the wall of an alleyway and another body, effectively sealing his movements and stabilizing him all at the same time. It takes a few seconds for Rex's mind to reboot and for him to realize what's happened. And by then, all he can do is gape at the unfortunately familiar figure.

"You… Why are…?"

"Shh," Gatlocke shushes him. "You'll catch his attention if you keep talking."

And now that Rex pays a little more attention, he realizes that Gatlocke has positioned his body and his cape as to obscure Rex from anyone looking into the alleyway. It's uncomfortable, but at least it hides him from Six for now. Few more minutes later, Gatlocke pushes away, looking mighty proud of himself.

"You alright, kid?"

"Ah… Yeah… Uh… Thanks?"

"No problem," he says with a shrug. "You looked like you needed help… So why are you being chased? By a man in a green suit, no less. Don't tell me you're messing with the mob or something?"

"Nuh… Nothing like that…" Rex mumbles. Or so he hopes. But then again, this is him, we're talking about. He rubs the back of his neck. "Well thanks. I'll just get go-"

A loud rumbling sound fills the air. Rex looks to the left, then to the right, and then turns to look at Gatlocke. The man has the nerve to laugh boisterously and pat his stomach.

"Man, I'm so hungry! I haven't eaten lunch yet!"

"Uh… I think I saw a hamburger joint nearby…"

Gatlocke shoots him a dirty look and holds up his hands. And Rex realizes for the first time that one of the consequences of stopping the Nanite Event is that he's halted development in cybernetic technology. Instead of the sleek black arms, Gatlocke has on strange skin-colored arms that look more like uncomfortable plastic than real arms.

"Yeah, I don't like finger foods," he states. "So why don't we go and grab some Chinese, eh?" Then he wraps an arm around Rex's shoulder and begins to lead them away from the alleyway.

"Wait a minute! I need to get home-"

"Don't be like that, kid. You owe me anyways. Might as well as tell me your troubles as we eat!"

Rex protests some more, but Gatlocke is insistent and refuses to let him go. And in the end, Rex finds himself dragged inside a Chinese restaurant.

* * *

"What do you want to eat, kid?" Gatlocke asks as he stares intently at the menu.

"I'm not hungry."

"Aw, don't be like that. I'm buying."

That just makes Rex that much worried. Gatlocke's a businessman. He will never do something as self-sacrificing as paying for someone else. That means that he's here for some other kind of motive. Unless this Gatlocke is different from the Gatlocke from his universe. Where does a person's personality starts? Which part came to be because of the Event and which part was there before?

"I'm not hungry."

Gatlocke tsks before ordering an impossibly large amount of food in surprisingly decent Chinese. Rex just rolls his eyes and lets the merchant (what if he's not a merchant in this world?) do whatever he feels like.

By the time the food is ready, Rex easily picks up the food for Gatlocke and sits down at a table (one good deed and all that. Gatlocke saved his life, Rex can at least move food for him). He's then surprised when Gatlocke pushes one of the trays at him and says, "Eat."

"I said I'm-"

"Yeah, yeah. And you're a teenager. I bet you can fit _something_ in your stomach."

Rex doesn't like this at all. It feels much too like he's falling into Gatlocke's debt. But he doesn't protest anymore. He just picks up the chopsticks and digs into the Lo Mein that Gatlocke paid for.

"See? Isn't that better?" Gatlocke asks as he scoops up a spoonful of friend rice into his mouth. "Food is the best way to connect with people, you know."

"Why are you doing this?"

"What? I can't be nice to the kid I just saved from the mafia?"

"He isn't part of the mafia," Rex snaps. Then stops himself, realizing what Gatlocke is trying to do. He glowers and turns his attention back to the food.

"… Why are you running from him?" Gatlocke asks.

Rex refuses to answer. He just focuses on shoveling as much food as he can into his mouth to distract himself. It must make Gatlocke reconsider his question, because he lets out a small sigh.

"You know, when I was your age, I spent most of my time watching anime and reading manga."

"… Excuse me?" Rex asks around his food.

"I'm just saying. You seem to have chosen a poor form of entertainment." Gatlocke shrugs. "You don't even look like you're having fun."

"Normally, people wouldn't consider being chased fun."

"But you are having fun, aren't you? Despite all your protests, you're rather protective over the man in green. You're secretly enjoying this, aren't you, kid?"

Rex lowers his chopsticks and looks at Gatlocke. "Why did you help me?"

"Have you ever heard of a group called the Consortium?"

_Don't react!_ But the warning comes too late. Rex feels his entire body stiffen and he looks away, unable to meet Gatlocke's calculating eyes.

"Thought so," the merchant says. And even without looking, Rex can hear the gleeful smirk on that man's face.

"Do you know of their end goal?"

"… Achieve immortality…" Or at least that's what Rex assumes since the Nanites were never created and they never changed their goal from immortality to achieve God-like powers.

Gatlocke nods. "Good, good. Then I don't have to waste too much time with explanations. Recently, César Salazar made a great headway in his research. The Consortium is already celebrating that they'll have their immortality soon."

César is… what? Is that where he was last night? Rex clenches his hands into fists to stop them from shaking. He forces himself to take a deep breath. This has to be some kind of a trick that Gatlocke's trying. Rex doesn't know what his angle is, but he's not going to fall for it.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Gatlocke pauses, raising a brow. "Oh? Don't tell me you lost your memory, kid! After all the trouble I went through to get you all this information, you go and forget everything on me? Jeesh, you're as troublesome as always."

Oh dear gods. And suddenly, everything makes that much more sense. The reason why Gatlocke interfered with Six. The reason why Gatlocke just bought him a meal. The reason why Gatlocke wants to talk to him right now… Rex closes his eyes and forces down the nausea.

"So I… I asked you to gather information on César?"

Gatlocke clicks his tongue, giving Rex a disappointed look. Rex assumes that means yes.

"But why… Why do I need to know what the Consortium knows? Why does that matter to me?" Whether they achieve immortality or not doesn't matter, as long as they don't suddenly decide they want to become gods. So what exactly is the other Rex after? Why did he hire Gatlocke? Or maybe this isn't about the Consortium but about César. Maybe the other Rex wanted to keep an eye on his brother. But for what purposes? What was the other him thinking?

"Why don't you ask yourself why you're being chased by the man in green?"

"What does the Providence have to do with-"

Gatlocke's head snaps up, eyes wide with shock and… fear? "What the hell do you know about Providence?"

"Whua…?" Rex closes his mouth with a snap and stares at Gatlocke's body language. It's tense with nerves and anger, and if Rex didn't know any better, he'd say that Gatlocke's terrified. "Providence doesn't exist."

Gatlocke slams his prosthetic hands on the table. "No. Don't you _dare_. Every single lead I've ever had on Providence always leads to those three words. I know they exist! They may hide well, but they can't hide from me forever. Tell me."

"I don't know anything," Rex says. And oddly enough, it's the truth. He really doesn't know anything. After all, he highly doubts that Gatlocke wants to hear that Providence is an organization that "contain, kill, or cure" EVOs. "I'm sorry, but I really don't."

"Just like you don't know why the man in green is chasing you?"

"That's different."

"Not according to you. That man in green is connected to Providence, isn't he?"

"To be perfectly honest, I have no idea."

Gatlocke throws his hands up in the air. "You know what, kid? I'm done. When you're ready to tell me about Providence, call me." He throws down few dollars for tip and passes his business card to Rex. Then he turns around and walks away, his cape billowing behind him.

Rex looks down at the impossibly large amount of food in front of him and sighs.

"Can I get a to-go box?" he asks in Chinese.

* * *

He holds the plastic bag with the leftover Chinese food loosely in one hand as he walks out of the restaurant. Rex stretches a little and looks across the street and freezes.

Six is standing there, casually leaning against the lamppost and checking his cellphone. When he notices that Rex has come out of the restaurant, he puts it away and straightens his suit.

Rex doesn't hesitate.

He runs back into the restaurant. There has to be another exit. One that isn't monitored by Six. But then what? What is he going to do? He doesn't know the way back home from here. Even if he starts running, Six will just chase him around and around, and he doesn't even have Gatlocke to rely on this time. So what now? What should he-

"Boy!" the manager calls. He waves Rex to the back and points at the back exit through the kitchen.

"But isn't this…?"

The manager just winks and pats him on the back. Then he goes back to his business as if Rex isn't there. And now that Rex starts to move through the kitchen, none of the other workers look at him. They're all in on this, he realizes with a start. Rex has no idea why this is the case or why they're even helping him, but he does make sure to thank them all before exiting the restaurant.

Luckily, Six doesn't seem to have figured out about the back exit, because there's no one here. Taking a deep breath, Rex begins to run again.

* * *

By the time Rex feels safe enough to stop, he finds himself at the abandoned factory that Tuck took him to in the morning. Rex glances around, makes sure that there really isn't anyone following him, and makes his way in to the room with the red curtain for a door.

* * *

He sits on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. He's mentally going through everything, trying to figure out exactly what is going on in his life.

Nanites exist. At least, the ones in his body exists. And now that he thinks about it, perhaps when he made his wish and came here, the nanites that was within him then came with him. Except maybe they weakened, because he's tried to make Smackhands and his other usual builds, but none of it works. What does that mean? That one day, he's going to wake up and find out that all the nanites no longer work? If that's the case, is there a way for him to predict that?

And on similar thought wave is the problem of Providence. It cannot exist but all evidence seems to point contrarily. What's even more worrisome is Gatlocke's reaction. And now that he stops to think about it, wasn't that also Six's question? Just what is Providence that causes that kind of reaction?

"This is so damned frustrating!" he shouts. He picks up a random item nearby (some kind of a box-like puzzle) and throws it against the wall. It shatters with a loud clatter, falling to the ground in pieces. But within those pieces...

"... A paper?"

Slowly, he stands up and picks up the piece of paper that's been neatly folded. He blows off the pieces of whatever it is that he's tossed, and glups. "What are you...?"

Rex unfolds the paper.

"_If you are reading this now, Tuck, then it means I'm gone. And if you're not Tuck, then you're screwed, because if both me and Tuck are gone, that means there's literally no chance for you to survive. In this room, I've hidden everything that I know. All the explanations is in the diary. Tuck, I'm sorry, but I'm leaving the rest up to you."_

"You've got to be-"

He stops himself when he realizes something crucial. Then that means all the explanation that he's wanted is in this room. And until he gets the diary back, he's just going to have to trust that he'll be able to figure things out.

With that thought in mind, Rex rips through the room.

* * *

"This better not be a habit forming," he mumbles lowly under his breath as he stares down at all the notes that he's gathered.

The rest of the room is completely trashed, but he doesn't really care all that much for that. He has the papers. And with shaky hands, he opens one.

"7DE134ACE."

Wait...

With a frown, Rex opens the rest of the papers and realizes with a hiss that all of the papers are like that, just a string of random numbers and letters. The back of each papers are numbered from one to however many scraps there are, but none of this makes sense. What are these papers and just why would anyone need them?

Not for the first time, Rex wishes that he had that diary back. Now that he knows that he has his nanites, he'll be able to force open the diary. And with the diary, he can figure out what these strings and numbers are and go on from there. He can put his entire life story together and finally feel ready to face the world.

"Rex?"

He flinches and turns. Circe is standing by the red curtain and giving at him an uncertain look. Without another prompt, Rex quickly sweeps the papers into his pocket and turn to face her fully.

"Hey," he says.

"I see you've been redecorating." She motions at the rest of the room, looking a little confused and torn. "Something piss you off?"

Rex shrugs, unsure how to answer that one. "What brings you here, Circe?"

"Don't even remember that, huh?" she whispers softly. She makes her way to the couch and sits down. "It must be nice. Just lose everything you don't want to remember."

"I don't really have a choice in what I forget and don't," Rex grumbles. He leans against the desk. "So why don't you just fill me in?"

Circe hesitates for a second before sighing. "Always get what you want, don't you, Rex?" She unwraps the bandages around her arms, revealing scars and burn marks. "These are just the most obvious ones."

Rex opens his mouth. He wants to say something. Anything. But then he realizes that he really has no idea what he's supposed to say so he just shuts his mouth close. It makes Circe smile serenly, and it's almost eerie how calm she looks.

"I don't come from the happiest background," she says simply. "And as cliched as it sounds, you saved me from that."

"Whua...?"

"So hurry up and remember, Rex."

Those are the words that Circe says, but the words that Rex hears are "Hurry and save us."


	10. Of Providence and School

"Hey Circe... How did I save you?"

There's a knowing look in her eyes as if she's finally figured something out. "You're a terrible person," she says softly, almost fondly. She stands up from the couch and walks over to him. She places her hand over Rex's heart and looks at him carefully. "So you really remember nothing of me...?"

Circe's getting too close. But Rex doesn't know what any of this means. Are they together? Is that what she means? Is that why she keeps getting closer and closer, their faces barely inches apart? If they aren't together, then why is she coming so close? Just what are they to each other? Just what the hell did the other Rex do to make her like this because he's never been able to save Circe, at least, not like this.

"Stop," he mumbles. He takes her hand off of his chest. "Circe, you're-"

"... is going to kill us!"

Both Rex and Circe turns toward the sound of the voice, and spots Cricket and Walter, frozen by the red curtain. They both look like they've been in a fight, tattered and bruised. But what's more worrisome is the fact that they're carrying an unconscious and bloody Tuck in-between them. They're both frozen by the curtain, alternating from staring at Circe and Rex to the mess of the room.

"What happened?" Rex demands. He gently pushes Circe out of the way to help out. He takes over for Cricket to help support up Tuck. "Are you guys okay?"

"We've faced worse," Walter grumbles. "We're fine, Rex."

Cricket runs over to the couch and clears it. Circe, meanwhile, goes through the mess to find the first-aid kit. Walter and Rex puts Tuck down on the couch and then turn to face one another.

"Is there any food or something?" Walter asks, rubbing the back of his neck. "We'll brief you."

* * *

They clear the ground by the couch the best they can and sit with the leftover Chinese. They assure Rex multiple times that the blood on Tuck is not his and that Tuck will be just fine. They also refuse any first-aid treatment when Circe offers, stating that they're just a little banged up but otherwise not injured. And once they've all finally settled in with their food, Cricket speaks up.

"Rex," she says, looking at him straight in the eye. "We know. So you can stop pretending now."

... Know? Know what, exactly? For the smallest of all seconds, Rex's heart race because what if they know about the nanites and the EVOs and _Hong Kong_. But then he forces himself to stop that train of thought right now, because there's no way. He erased all traces of that universe (except for the nanites in his system and his memories). There's absolutely no way for these guys to know about that.

Then what is it that they know?

At his confusion, Cricket expands. "We know that you want an out. Tuck told us."

"And just saying, for once, I wish you would trust us enough to tell us that to our face," Walter says. He doesn't look happy, but it's not complete distate. Like he understands. "You know, instead of pretending that you lost your memory again."

"I..." Rex closes his mouth, not knowing what to say. While it is true that he's lied about losing his memory, it's not like he can exactly tell them all the truth of what's happened. So isn't it better to just learn about this place by saying he lost his memory?

"There were times when you even had me fooled," Circe admits. "Asking me to tell you about my past? Very well played, sir. But you have an obvious tell."

"I... do?"

Circe chuckles and shakes her head. "You're a terrible person," is all that she'll tell him on the subject.

"Okay fine," Rex says finally. "You're right. I want out. But there really are spots in my memory, alright?"

"Oh, just drop it with your memory! You think we don't know that you've been faking it this entire time?" Cricket exclaims. She throws a piece of shrimp at him as if that'll be enough to shut him up. "It's because of you that we're in this mess in the first place."

"What mess?"

"Because you decided that you wanted out, Tuck here decided to humor you," Walter says, biting viciously into his orange chicken. "And yeah, I know that has more to do with the fact that Tuck's an idiot, but couldn't you have at least thought about what would happen to us if you left? Or at least thought about what Tuck would do if you even jokingly mention something to him? Don't you remember how on your birthday last year, he drove us crazy, trying to sneak into the museum to steal a meteor for you just because you passingly mentioned that you wanted a star?"

No, Rex does not have any recollection of that. How can he? But at the same time, he can't help but to wish that he did, because then at least he'd be able to reveal in the same memories. Why is it that he never seems to be able to share the same memories as these three?

"Okay, so what did Tuck try to do this time?" Rex asks again. Apprehensive this time. He gets the feeling that he's not going to like the answer (that's if he understands it).

Cricket and Walter exchange a look. Then she takes a deep breath and says, "Tuck tried to shut down Providence."

Rex drops his chopsticks. "Huh?!" Say _what_ now?

"Yeah, I know. He's crazy. Trying to shut down Providence by himself. What was he thinking? He was lucky that me and Cricket were even in the area to help him out," Walter continues with a heavy sigh.

... Providence? You mean the same government organization that used to hunt EVOs in Rex's original universe? You mean the same organization that made Gatlocke flip out and Six chase him? Why was Tuck trying to shut it down? Does that mean Tuck has that power? And if Tuck was moving on Rex's wishes, then doesn't that mean that Rex also have that power...? Just what is Providence's connection to them?

"Is that why he's...?" Rex motions to Tuck on the couch, unable to finish the question.

Cricket nods. "Lucky for us, he's a pretty sturdy fighter. So he's probably going to be fine. It's just..."

"How are things with Providence then?" Rex asks instead. "Will they shut down or...?"

Walter snorts. "Are you kidding me? After everything we've done and everything we plan on doing? You really think they're going to stop just because _you_ want out?"

Rex forces himself to calm down. Because everything that Walter is saying... Doesn't it all point to Rex being the leader of Providence or at least some kind of a high-level figure? But that makes no sense. How can he be a leader of a government agency? He's in high school, for Pete's sake! And how the hell did something like Providence even fall into Rex's hands in the first place? Just what happened in this universe to become this crazy?

"So now what, then?" Circe asks finally. "Those at Providence are going to suspect something's wrong. They might even come after us either for revenge or questions." She looks at Rex. "I'm sure you came up with a backup plan to fall back to, right?"

And the horrible part is, Rex has nothing. And even if the other him did have something, it's not quite like he's left a giant sign that said…

Oh wait.

The papers.

"_In this room, I've hidden everything that I know… I'm leaving the rest up to you."_

Rex frowns before pulling out the pieces of papers that he's gathered from the room. He can feel the curious gazes of the others on him, but they wait for him to answer. And now that he's looking at the papers a little closer with their nonsensical numbers and letters, it dawns on him that maybe, just maybe, this is a key. Or a password.

"Have you guys seen my diary?"

They all shake their heads, still waiting for him to fill them in. Well that sucks. The note said that everything is explained in the diary. But there is just one thing that the other Rex probably didn't account for. The fact that Rex has the ability to control technology. Then perhaps using a computer, he might be able to figure out what these pieces of paper lead to.

"We're going to need a computer."

* * *

How this turned into a trip to break into the school, Rex will never quite know. They left Tuck back in the abandoned factory, figuring that he'd be nothing but deadweight anyways. And now they're sneaking around the dark halls of the school and Rex is feeling a little alarmed because his friends seem a little _too_ good at sneaking around here.

"Oh lucky," Walter says as he opens the door to one of the computer labs. "Looks like Bobo forgot to lock up again."

Rex wisely decides against asking questions that's bubbling in his mind. Instead, he walks over to a computer and turns it on. Before the login prompt can come up, he places his hands on the keyboard and taps a few keys as if he's impatiently waiting. In actuality, though, he's concentrating his nanites to help him out. What did he do before that required the long string of numbers and letters?

There's a small beep and instead of a login screen, the screen turns black with a white cursor at the top left corner. Another DOS screen. But instead of White Knight, the words that appear on the screen is:

"Input Code:"

Cricket stifles a small gasp and Walter mutters, "Of course." Circe places a hand on his shoulder, gives it a squeeze, before pulling back. Figuring that's their way of supporting him, Rex takes out the papers and begins to type.

At the end of it all, the computer goes black before another white cursor appears at the top of the screen with the words "Welcome back."

That's all fine and dandy, but what the hell is this? What the hell did the other Rex do here? What's this for?

"So this is how you contact everyone," Walter mumbles, sounding completely awed. "I always wondered…"

Rex fingers hover over the keyboard, uncertain as to what to do from here. He gulps slowly, wrecking his brain for an idea, any idea. Then slowly, slowly, he types: "Gather."

There's no automatic response at first. But after about a minute, there's a small ping and the words "Calan reporting" appears on the screen.

His breathing gets caught in his throat and Rex doesn't even know how to respond to this. Calan? As in Captain Calan from Providence? So this is it then? Rex does rule over Providence? But how? Why? And what the hell does any of this mean and what the hell happened with White Knight and…

In couple of minutes, a handful of people come online, reporting in as if this is a formal meeting. Few add a small greeting such as "How is everyone?" and "Did you hear what happened?" And then the words "White Knight reporting" flicker on.

"I believe everyone is here," White Knight types.

Rex gulps. Then he places his fingers on the keyboard. "Has everyone been briefed on the events of tonight?"

"Some kid claimed to be the de facto leader of Providence," Calan writes. "And mentioned something about shutting it down. Is this true?"

And that's the question isn't it? Should Rex shut down to the only link he has back to his past? And if he does, would it be the same as losing these people forever? He hesitates for a second before typing: "Yes. I am shutting down Providence. I will be purging all the information. Providence will never have existed."

There's an outrage of furious typing and words pop on the screen at rapid speed. But then White Knight writes, "Makes sense to me."

"This channel was breached by an unknown source," he continues. "It will be far better to purge everything that connects back to Providence in case it leads to us."

Rex bites his lips. How would White Knight react if he knew that it was the leader of Providence who unknowingly caused that breach? But if it's going to help Rex right now, then it's better this way. He'll completely wipe off Providence and… And then what? Hell, why is he wiping off Providence in the first place? Shouldn't he keep them around and gather information about himself? What's he thinking?! He should be stopping this!

"Ah, so we're just moving then!" Calan writes. "You need to be clearer with your words, Quarry."

…

What?

Rex blinks slow, staring at the screen. Then he turns to look at the others. Cricket's sitting on the table, entertaining both Circe and Walter with a story. Apparently they don't need to be worried about any security guards or something.

"Hey guys, who's the leader of Providence?" he asks them.

"You are," Cricket says automatically. Then she pauses, a worried look on her face. "Why? What happened?"

And suddenly, everyone's over by the computer, staring at the screen. Circe frowns. "Rex, what's gotten you spooked? Everyone's saying that they're okay with shutting Providence down. Isn't that what you wanted?"

Well yes. But… But why did Calan call him Quarry? Oh gods, what if this is one of those identity mishaps where Quarry actually doesn't exist and he's actually just a figment of Rex's imagination? No, no. He needs to stop being ridiculous. Quarry messaged him on the cellphone, right? That means he actually does exist. He takes a deep breath and returns to the computer. _Focus_, he tells himself. _Focus on the task in front of you…_

Shut down Providence. But should he? On one hand, it's the best way to get information. But on the other hand… this can't be safe. A high schooler with the ability to control an agency like Providence? No matter how he looks at it, it's sketchy.

"Then I suppose this is goodbye," Rex types.

"Don't be a stranger!" Calan writes. Then he's gone.

And in the next few seconds, everyone leaves one by one, with some form of a goodbye message. Until finally, it's just Rex and White Knight left.

"Consortium cut the funding, didn't they?" White Knight writes. "I heard the rumors. They've gotten themselves a new toy. They don't need us anymore. You're not going to be restarting us any time soon."

Rex doesn't know the answer to this. But he figures it'll be better safe than sorry. So he just types, "Yes."

"I knew it," White Knight writes. "It was only a matter of time… But they're treading dangerous waters. I'd love to see them suffer."

"…Knight?"

"Ah, I'm not about to do anything crazy. Watch your back, Quarry. If they suspect anything, you'll be the scapegoat, after all."

Then White Knight's gone, leaving Rex with nothing but the black computer screen again. Taking a deep breath, Rex focuses all of his nanites as he types the next word: "Purge."

There's a small pause before the computer goes blank and restarts. Figuring that this will take care of the rest, Rex stands up.

"Okay. I'm good here."

"Great! Let's get out of here!" Cricket says, jumping off of the table with ease.

"How does ice cream sound?" Walter asks. "You know, as sort of a small celebration that we're all no longer part of Providence?"

"Ice cream, huh? You're just dead-set on becoming fat," Circe teases.

Rex sighs softly. Maybe things will be okay. Maybe he's really going to be able to change everything and-

"Hey you kids! What are you doing here?"

"Oh crap! It's Bobo! Run!"

* * *

Five minutes later, the four of them are sitting on the steps of the school, one angry Bobo Haha glaring down at them.

"You thought you guys are so clever!" Bobo snaps. "Thought no one will notice if you guys snuck in on Friday night, eh? Well, tough!"

"Please don't call our parents!" Cricket begs, looking at Bobo with wide eyes. "Look, you can call the cops or discipline us yourself or whatever. Just don't call our parents!"

Even though Cricket is the one saying these things, it's Circe who looks to be panicking the most. She's clutching her arms close to herself, hunching in as if that can make her smaller. So the story that she did tell Rex was the truth…

"Oh? So that's your biggest concern? Then I guess your parents are going to be getting a late-night call-"

_Whack!_

The group stares dumbfounded as a figure stands over Bobo's collapsed body with what appear to be a piece of rock.

"You guys okay?" the person asks.

"Tuck!" they exclaim in relief.

"This is why I keep telling you to be more vigilant when sneaking around," he complains, shaking his head slightly. "And also to include me when you're going to do stupid things."

Cricket hugs him right away, quickly followed by Walter. Rex and Circe hang back a little. Circe's still hugging herself tightly, almost as if she's too coiled up to be allowed to be released. Rex offers her an encouraging smile, and it's only when she smiles shakily back that Rex decides that she's going to be okay. With that, he turns to face Tuck.

"Rex, I…" Tuck begins.

"No, let me start. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shove everything on to you."

"No! Don't think like that. I... I know I didn't go about it the right way but-"

"Tuck, relax. It's fine. Things all worked out."

Tuck frowns. "What do you mean?"

"Providence. It's shut down."

"Oh…" Tuck says. There's a look in his eyes that says that he's not fine. He tries to grin brightly, but the look in his eyes doesn't go away. "Well, great! No more Providence! Are we celebrating?"

"Yeah! With ice cream!"

Tuck laughs but it sounds fake and wrong, like sandpaper rubbing together. Like a toy that's slowly running out of battery. "Then let's get to it!"

And Rex knows that it's not over yet.


	11. Interlude: Let's Talk about Rex II

I think it's just going to be a thing that Interludes will be posted with another chapter. And on that note, the plan is for there to be about six more chapters (not counting interludes). So lot more answers in the chapters to come!

Warning: Tuck's kind of crazy and there's lots of violence.

* * *

You know, the very first time that Tuck hears of the name "Rex Salazar" is way back in kindergarten.

It's not quite like they had the same kindergarten class or anything. It's more that Tuck's always been an attentive child and he over hears the teachers talk about the "Salazar kid." And well, the documentary on ninjas and samurais that Tuck watched the night before said something about how all the great lords had regal names. And all Tuck recalls from back then is the thought "Salazar is a regal name."

* * *

It's not until third grade that Tuck finally gets to meet this "Salazar kid." He doesn't know that the kid he meets is Salazar until much later, though.

Tuck walks out of the nurse's office after he nicks his eyebrow (an idiot slammed into him with a scissor, much to his irritation - not at the kid, but at himself for not being more aware). There's a bandage over it, and he's grumbling about how everyone's making a big deal over nothing (really, he's seen worse injuries at karate practice).

There's a new kid sitting in the office (Their nurse's office is within the main one. Small school and all that). He's blonde and pouting and from the way he's slouching, Tuck knows that they'll probably never get along (He doesn't know it at the time, but that's Noah Nixon and he's quite right in that they'll never get along).

And that's when Rex Salazar walks in.

His left arm is in a bright pink cast, and Tuck thinks that it's the silliest thing a guy can have. But Rex wears it proudly and gives Tuck a look of challenge when Tuck stares for too long.

"What?" he demands. "Never seen a guy with broken arm before?"

"I've just never seen a guy with a pink cast before," Tuck corrects him politely, just as he was taught.

The kid sticks out his tongue. "Yeah, well it was the only color they had and Dr. Rhodes said that real men wear pink, so there."

"No they don't," the blonde kid says, speaking up for the first time. "Only real idiots wear pink."

"You take that back!"

"Make me!"

And Tuck quickly slips out quietly while the two fight. Thinking back on it, he's the one who helped the legendary duo become best of friends (He'll also be part of the reason why the two become rivals, but Tuck isn't too concerned about that).

* * *

Karate become less and less fun as Tuck grows older.

It has nothing to do with the people he meets or the things he learn. It's... the way that karate becomes more and more like a dance routine. Everything's already set up and planned. There's no more spontaneous spars anymore. No more fun, and no more thrill. Especially since the economy's bad or whatever, and the head instructor's taken more interest in publicity rather than actual teaching of the martial art.

And that's not why Tuck wanted to learn.

He wanted to learn about the great masters. He wanted to learn about discipline and control. He wanted to learn how to fight if ever came a day that he wouldn't be able to solve things peacefully. He wanted to be able to defend himself and those he loved if ever it came to that. And more than anything, he wanted the thrill that came with greeting the opponent on the mat for a spar.

To be told so suddenly that he cannot have that is like being told to breath under water. To be told that he must learn this dance routine for the sake of publicity is like repeatedly being kicked when he's fallen to the ground. But at least if he's physically being kicked, he knows how to defend himself and how to fight back (and at least he'd have fun doing it, too). But this isn't a physical attack. It's just a psychological one that's draining him and he just feels like he's drowning, and he just can't take it.

His grades start to slip and his behavior is off. He knows it, his family know it, and his teachers know it. They're all worried for him and he's starting to get sick and tired of seeing their concern. If they're that bothered by it, then they should just back off. Them closing in on him feels too much like being dragged down lower and lower. They should just let him fight to get to the surface so he can grab a lungful of air before being dragged under again.

One day, he snaps in the dojo in the worst way. The head instructor takes it a step too far and Tuck takes it even further. He punches the guy.

It causes a huge uproar that gets his parents involved. And as much as it burns Tuck to see his parents bowing to the instructor, chanting apologizes in hopes that this doesn't become a lawsuit, he can't help but to finally understand what's been bothering him. He's been itching for freedom. All this pseudo-structure and so-called discipline is what's drowning him. What he wants is to get out of the water and fly. Let loose his punches when things go wrong. Feel the thrill that greeted him when his fist collided with the instructor's face.

He feels horrible about the whole thing, he really does. But the sudden realization that _freedom is right there_ makes him so giddy that he can't stop grinning the entire car ride home.

* * *

"Mom, dad," he says after they finish yelling at him and punishing him the only way they know how. "I'm not going back there."

They agree readily and his dad even quietly whispers to him that he thought the instructor was an idiot who deserved the punch anyways. But what they don't know is that he doesn't mean the dojo. He doesn't mean karate.

He means that he doesn't want to drown again.

* * *

His new-found freedom takes him the bad part of town. Because there, at least he's allowed to challenge the bigger kids to a fight without ever being told no, that's not how things work in the dojo. So he clashes with the people there, throwing punches wildly and hitting the solid target. There's a strange kind of thrill every time he strikes, and he ends up falling in love with the sensation without realizing what love is.

Of course, he does this the best he can without trying to worry his family. He still goes to school and he still interacts with his family. But when the night falls, he's back on the street, fists ready and heart singing. He thinks that life is perfect. There's absolutely nothing that can happen to clip his wings. There's absolutely nothing that can drag him back down to the waters to drown.

And then Rex Salazar walks into his life.

By then, Tuck estimates that it's been about two years since his freedom. By then, the exhilaration of the high that came with being free has ebbed away. He's just hanging out here because it's fun and it gives him something to do, something to look forward to. But otherwise, he's really just going through the motions, feeling a little like he's sleepwalking when he's not fighting. Like he's just floating in air when he should be soaring. And Rex Salazar changes that. Or rather, Rex Salazar is the catalyst that wakes him from the dream.

Rex strides into the bad part of town as if he owns the place. It rubs everyone the wrong way, and Tuck's ready to help them beat up the damned kid when Rex holds up his hand and claim their attention.

"I'm looking for some bodies," he drawls with a cocky smirk, "who'll help me deliver boxes, no questions asked."

The answer to the request is met with snarls and threats, and Tuck hangs near the back with Kenwyn Jones, both of them laughing at the stupid kid who dared approach their territory. They watch as one of the bigger guys march up to Rex and _growls_. They watch as the big kid threatens to beat up Rex.

Then they stare in horror as Rex kicks the guy's nuts, and when the guy falls to the ground, kicks him in the face, once, nice and sharp. A loud crack echoes through the suddenly silent area and Rex addresses the rest of them with a light tone of voice.

"Anyone not going to the hospital interested in helping me?"

And Tuck awakens from the dream by the promise of danger. There's a grin on his face. He only knows that because Kenwyn mentions it later. But damn it, he's never felt this much alive since he first punched the karate instructor way back when. And Rex Salazar represents everything that Tuck thought freedom would give him. Rex Salazar becomes the wind that promises Tuck the world.

In the end, most of them fearfully end up helping Rex out, delivering the strangely heavy boxes without questions. And at the end of it all, Rex turns to them, tilts his head for a bit, and then reaches into his pocket. For the smallest of all seconds, Tuck fears that it'll be a gun and that they'll all be killed. But instead, Rex takes out two wads of $100 bills and tosses it at them.

"Share it, fight for it, do whatever you want. It's a thank-you for the help."

Then Rex is gone, and they're all baffled beyond words because why the hell did that kid have that much money? And better question, what the hell did they deliver?

Tuck doesn't bother fighting for the money or grabbing his share. He's never been in for the money to begin with. No, he's much more intrigued by the promise of danger Rex Salazar represents. The cracking sound of the kid's nose breaking echoes in Tuck's ears and he feels the faint wind at his back. He grins again.

* * *

He finds Rex in school and out of it. Sometimes, he follows him around. Other times, he actually walks up to Rex and talks to him. He cajoles, he lies, and he even throws a few punches. He does odd end jobs for Rex, never asking any questions. Any whims that leaves Rex's mouth, Tuck strives to achieve. All of this, so that Tuck can feel the thrill again (Kenwyn gives him a disgusted look and tells him to never return to the streets. And that's all fine, too. Because Tuck's finally found what he's been searching for). All of this, so that Tuck can feel alive, feel the air beneath his wings as he soar through the skies.

He does this over and over again until one day, Rex looks up, grins, and says, "Hey Tuck, how's my right-hand man doing?"

He does this over and over again until he realizes one day that he doesn't actually remember how to function without Rex.

* * *

They meet Cricket at the tracks. Or rather, Rex is looking for someone who can run fast and he finds Cricket. And once he's located her, it's Tuck who sets up the trap. It's Tuck who lures Cricket in and watches as she outruns the police with surprising ease. From there, it's easy to reel her in. After all, she's just as much as an adrenaline junkie as he is.

Sqwydd is pretty easy to recruit, too. Once Rex figures out that the kid's a genius in making smoke bombs, he looks at Tuck with excited eyes and Tuck already knows what he'll be doing. And before he knows it, Sqwydd falls into Rex's hands, and Rex marvel at the easy way everyone falls into place.

Even Quarry falls into place, because that's just what happens when Rex Salazar desires it so. Providence falls into place, too. And Tuck's not too sure of that one, because that one's mostly Rex (but he did help here and there, so don't completely count him out). Rex just declares one day that they'll be borrowing the name Providence without explaining what Providence is (except for the mandatory "It doesn't exist").

And Tuck's been fine with all of that because he's had a hand in it somewhere, somehow, in making Rex happy. And when Rex is happy, the wind blows the fullest, and Tuck can fly anywhere he wants, as high as he wants, without anyone stopping him.

Circe is the exception.

Rex doesn't point her out to Tuck. She just appears at Rex's place one night, sitting at the far corner of the couch, hunched in and clutching herself. It pisses Tuck off, because do you know what he did to get his position? Do you know what he had to do, what he still has to do to keep Rex's attention on him (to keep the wind at his back)? And yet this girl comes out of nowhere and already she's Rex's favorite?

It's the reason why when they're on the mountain (after _that night_ that Tuck never wants to remember or relive) and Circe stares as Rex takes the motorcycle and drives away without looking back and states (quite calmly), "Rex is faking it," Tuck almost loses it.

"Oh yes, because you know about him so well that you know when he doesn't have his memories or not," he snaps.

"The evidence has always been there," Circe says, crossing her arms. "You can't tell me that as his right hand, you never saw it?"

And yeah. Tuck's seen it. He's always suspected it. Because Rex might say that he has memory problems, but his actions always dictate otherwise. But Tuck is Tuck, and he's never brought it up. When Rex said it was a memory thing, he accepted it as that. Because what else is he going to do? He doesn't want to lose the thrill.

"What does it matter whether he's faking it or not?" Cricket asks. She's glancing from Tuck to Circe, as if fearing that someone's about to explode.

"It matters because he wants out," Tuck finds himself whispering.

And damn. He should've put this together. What kind of an idiot doesn't see this before now? Rex's behavior with his family, Rex's words last night, Rex's look of pure betrayal before the Rex Ride slipped and crashed (_No, NO. Don't think about that night. Don't think about that night_).

Rex is done. He wants out of this beautiful thrill-filled life. Out of the life that he's introduced them to (introduced and gotten them hooked on). The wind that's kept Tuck flying free doesn't want to blow anymore, and without it, he's going to fall into the ocean below. He's going to drown again.

And isn't it messed up that that's the thought that he can't stand? That if Rex keeps up this façade and really wants to stop everything, then Tuck cannot refuse him (How can he? He's never learned how to say no to Rex). But if he doesn't, he's going to drown (fall back down, lose _everything_). Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. There's no way out for him.

Except one.


	12. Of Black Knight and Violeta Salazar

It's that time of the year, folks. November. I will be taking a part in NaNoWriMo, so expect slower updates for this month. Sorry about this.

No interlude for this chapter, I'm afraid. But on the plus side approximately five more chapters to go (not counting interludes)!

* * *

When the cop walks into the ice cream parlor and heads straight for them, Rex's immediate thought is "I knew we should've called an ambulance for Bobo, even though Tuck assured me that he'll be fine." But there wasn't any blood and Tuck was really convincing and...

The officer stops at their table and turns to Rex. "Rex Salazar?"

And it's not until he speaks up that Rex realizes who the officer is. It's Calan. Rex didn't recognize him without the scar, but the southern drawl is something that he can't miss. It's only then that Rex finds himself relaxing because hey, it's Calan! Not only is he part of Providence (well, was, technically), but he's a good friend. There's no way that he's here to arrest them. But his friends must not get the memo, because they're tense.

Tuck grabs the napkin holder casually. Walter reaches into his pockets as if to reach for a weapon. Cricket looks ready to bolt. Circe loosely holds her spoon in her hand, as if preparing to use it as a weapon if worst came to worst. While all of this is going on, Rex smiles charmingly at Calan. "Yes sir," he answers, surprising himself at how serious he sounds.

"Your brother drove us crazy trying to file a missing person report," Calan tells him, giving them all a look of disapproval. It's odd, Calan's never given him this kind of... Oh right. This Calan isn't the one friendly patted Rex on the back after a successful mission. The thought's more than enough to cause Rex to tense. "Let me guess, you forgot to let him know that you were going to be out late with your friends?"

"...César did?" Rex mumbles lowly. Then loudly, he says, "Yes sir. Sorry about this. I'll get home right now and calm him down."

Calan nods. "Good, see that you do." Then he turns and leaves, much to the relief of Rex and his friends.

"What's the evil dictator planning?" Circe asks, shooting Rex a worried look. "He's never cared about curfew or anything before."

"Ah, it's part of the deal I made. I completely forgot about it," Rex says with an easy laugh. "I'll catch up to you guys later, okay? Thanks for tonight."

The group nod and wave goodbye, much to Rex's relief. Tuck looks much better now, too. And Rex is starting to wonder if he just imagined the dark look. Probably. After all, it's Tuck. Out of all of them, Tuck's the most reliable.

* * *

By the time Rex arrives back at home (he doesn't get too terribly lost for once, and he's counting that as a victory), César is pacing back and forth on the front porch. There are signs of parked cars around the house and the lawn, so Rex can already imagine what kind of crazy spectacle his brother made when he called the police. The motorcycle that he borrowed from Moss is still in the driveway, reminding Rex that he still hasn't taken care of that either.

"_¡Hermano!_" Rex calls out, waving.

The result is automatic. César doesn't hesitate to run across the lawn to throw his arms around Rex. It's not until then that Rex realizes that his brother's shaking and cold, and- _How long has he been out here, waiting for me?_ For a while, César just holds him, not saying a single word. Then he slowly releases Rex with a shuddering breath.

"You scared me," César whispers, his voice hoarse. "I just kept imagining the worst scenario. I know statistically, it is highly unlikely that you were hurt, but this _is_ you, we're talking about. Then I started to wonder if your memory was back or worse, you lost even more and-"

"Sorry. I got chased and then just lost track of time. Nothing happened, César."

But it's not a look of calm that appears on his brother's face. "Chased? By the...?"

"The man in green. Sixth most dangerous man in the world," Rex answers him.

"Rex... Your information..."

There's a small pause. Then César lets out a sigh, rubs the back of his neck, and declares, "Let's talk more inside. There's someone I want you to meet."

* * *

They walk in to the kitchen and Rex wants to just bolt out of there. Because there, at their kitchen table, typing furiously on her laptop while sipping whatever drink she's drinking is Black Knight. Rex takes a slow step backwards, but Black Knight looks up and spots them. She smiles.

"Hello, Rex, we meet again."

"You know each other?" César asks, looking slightly worried at what that might mean.

"Don't make that kind of face," Black Knight tells him. "We met very briefly in the parking lot, isn't that right, Rex?"

Rex doesn't answer her. He doesn't want to talk to her or look at her. He just wants to get out of here, maybe crawl under the covers or something. He's already dealt with Providence tonight, he really doesn't want to deal with her as well.

"She's going to help us, okay?" César says, looking at Rex with sincere eyes.

And it's so not fair, because it's happening again. His brother is going further and further away. And isn't it bad enough that César betrayed him once in a different universe, and now he's going to betray Rex again to Black Knight? Gatlocke's words about the Consortium and César echoes in Rex's mind, and he takes a deep breath.

"Alright, fine," he decides finally. "Tell me what you have to say."

"Good choice." Black Knight smiles again, but it looks more like the smirk of a shark than anything friendly.

* * *

The three of them sit around the kitchen table. It appears that Angela has prepared some tea before she left, because César quickly pours himself and Rex a cup. Then Black Knight turns her laptop around and shows Rex a picture of Six.

"Is this man chasing you?" César asks. He looks worried again, and Rex just wants to tell him that it's going to be fine. Six isn't really all that harmful and then it stops his train of thoughts because this isn't his Six. Who knows what this Six will and won't do?

"Yes."

"Why are you running from him?" Black Knight asks. There's no worry in her eyes. It's just morbid curiosity.

_Because if I stay, I'll tell him everything._ Rex shrugs his shoulders. "Don't know. He just seemed dangerous."

"Well, you aren't wrong." Black Knight turns her laptop back towards her. "Do you know who he is?"

"Six. The sixth most dangerous man in the world. What of it?"

"Rex..." César starts. Then he stops, looking down at his hands.

"Odd. You knew about me, yet your information on him is outdated. The man in the green suit is not Six. Rather, he's One."

"... That makes no sense." Except it does. Of course, it does. If Six never had to put his life on hold so that he could help out at Providence and become a babysitter for Rex, then doesn't it make sense that he would have achieved that title? It makes perfect sense, but Rex doesn't want to admit it. Because the minute he acknowledges Six as One, that would mean that he's agreeing completely to severe the ties to the other world that he can never go back to, and he's not sure if he's ready to do that yet.

"I don't know who got you that information, but you should think about getting a new informant. At this rate, you'll die before achieving any of your goals."

Black Knight looks like she's mocking him. Her voice is sincere, but her eyes aren't. She's watching him as she always does, like a cat toying with its prey. Rex doesn't like it at all. And throughout it all, César just looks uncomfortable, staring at his tea with his mouth set firm in a frown.

"I'm not going to die."

"Can you guarantee that? Can you guarantee that you won't lose everything?"

No, Rex can't. But damn it, he has his nanites. That has to count for something, right?

"So this is our proposal," Black Knight says. She closes the laptop and leans forward. "The Consortium has a brand new project. It's in its beta stages right now but-"

Rex blocks out the rest of the words. He doesn't want to hear it. He feels his entire body tensing and his hands clench into fists. Deep breaths, he tell himself. He's not going to get mad. Because this situation is just like back in his original universe, and he hates it all too much. He doesn't want to talk to her. He doesn't want to talk at all. Damn it, why is this the one thing that's similar? Why couldn't it have been Six? Or Holiday? Or Bobo?

"... We can get your memories back with it. What do you think?"

"I think it's bull." Rex looks up and meets Black Knight's cold eyes. "You guys want to test your newest creation, so you're offering it to me like it's some kind of salvation. But it's not. It's yet another trap. I don't know what you're trying to pull, but you aren't welcomed in this house. Leave."

"Wait, Rex!" César places a hand on Rex's shoulder, trying to get his attention. "Don't you understand? This might be able to help you. You can..." He gulps as if he hates himself for what he's going to say. "You can get your memories back. I know it sounds kind of sketchy, but the procedures are completely safe. You're going to be fine and you're going to have answers."

"And then what? Go back to who I was before? You didn't even like who I was, _hermano!_ Hell, did anyone? I like who I am right now. Why can't you just be happy with that?" Because if they were to hook him up to the machines and he ends up reverting back to his old self... Well, that really depends, doesn't it? Which old self would he revert to? The him when he met Six? The him when he was in Hong Kong? And no matter how Rex looks at it, there's no way that he'll end up getting the memories that these people want him to. Because he's not that Rex.

César looks relieved at Rex's words. Like he wasn't sure at all what Rex would've said and he wasn't sure if he would have been okay if Rex had chosen otherwise. But it's Black Knight that worries Rex. The way that she's watching, the way that she looks like she's carefully calculating everything...

She smiles. "Your choice is your own."

But Rex doesn't believe that at all.

"I'll take my leave. Thanks for the tea."

* * *

"César, I think you owe me some explanations, too."

His brother looks like a deer caught in the headlights. But then he takes a deep breath and sits across from Rex. "Okay," he says. "I've been working with this group called the Consortium. They want... They want to achieve immortality. But all of their researches led them to a dead-end. And then I... I approached them with an idea. What if you can download your memories and thoughts? And then just... upload them? You know, have backups of your memories."

Dear gods, no wonder Gatlocke reported this to him. Rex closes his eyes and rubs his temples. _You have got to be-!_ He has figured that it would be something pretty bad that César was involved in. But of all things, why did it have to be...?

"... Why...? César, what the hell was going through your head when you proposed something like that for research?! Don't you know how easily that can become corrupted? The application of that kind of technology is-"

"I just wanted a way to help you! You said you were losing your memories and I got... Hell, I got excited. I thought this might be a way to connect with you. I just... I just wanted my family back, _mijo_."

"Boys, it's late at night. You shouldn't be yelling."

The two turn to the entrance of the kitchen, where Rex's mom stands, looking at them with disapproving eyes. She has an intricate looking shawl wrapped around herself, looking cold and oh so tired.

"Mom," Rex says (although he can't help but to wonder if he ever did call her that in this universe). "Tell César that he's being an idiot. He needs to stop the research now and-"

"It's already in the beta stages, Rex. We're just looking for test subjects and-"

"_People_, César! They're people. They're not just test subjects!"

"Boys!"

The two fall back into angry silence and Violeta sighs. She walks over to them and gently places a hand on each of their shoulders.

"You two never argue like this. What happened?"

"I found out that my entire family is a lie. That's what happened." Rex grumbles. It's not what he means to say, but it's what comes out.

"Rex..." César's voice is fraught with warnings. Of what, Rex doesn't know. And to be honest, he's done caring. Why does he have to tiptoe around this? He's the one suffering the most because of this, isn't he? He has every right to be grumpy.

"Our family isn't a lie, Rex," Violeta says, her voice gentle as if to soothe a crying babe. But Rex isn't a baby crying about his scraped knee. He's an intelligent being who has made the conscious decision to change everything, only to realize that his ideal isn't all that beautiful as he had hoped.

"Really? Is that why you and dad are never around? Is that why Angela's more concerned with what I do with my life? Is that why no one bothers to come pick me up when I'm in the hospital? And when they do," here he meets César's eyes, "they do nothing but criticize me for my decisions instead of inquiring whether I'm okay or not? Is that why I don't even live here anymore and no one gives a crap? Is that why no one questions why there's a motorcycle in the driveway?"

"Rex, stop it. It's not her fault!"

"Then whose fault is it, César? Mine? Because I want to have a normal family? Because I was born? Is it yours? Is it dad's? Tell me, who broke this family?"

"It was..." César looks down at his hands, unable to answer.

"Rex," Violeta says, sternly now. As if this line of questioning is going somewhere that she doesn't want to deal with. "It's not like that. We're not broken. We're just..."

"We're broken, mom. Tell me, when was the last time you took an interest in what I did? What César did? Tell me, when was the last time we all sat together for dinner? When was the last time that we acted as a family?"

The room is silent, and Rex faintly wonders maybe this is all just a hallucination. He never made the wish, he's just having a long nightmare in his bed. Few minutes from now, Holiday or Bobo is going to shake him awake and they're going to go through briefing and-

"What do you want from me?" Violeta whispers, derailing Rex's thoughts. "Rex, _mijo_, we're all just trying to do everything we can."

"We can to do what? I don't understand. Why aren't we treasuring each other? Why are we so cold and distant?"

Violeta takes a deep breath. "Rex, before you were born... Your father and I were part of a team of scientists on the Nanite Project. It was shut down because the group that funded us believed it wasn't worth exploring. Your father... He and few of the other scientists believed that the Project was the only way to help humanity. They wanted to continue the project. We fought, Rex. And in the end-"

"In the end, our family is the only one that suffers. That's what it boils down to, mom. You can tell me it was the Consortium, it was the project, or something else. But in the end, we're the one with a broken family."

"If Providence had just kept out of this, we would have been fine!"

Rex freezes. He looks at his mom, whose hands are balled up into fists and her eyes are shining with anger.

"... Providence...?"

"I don't know who they are, either. But they offered money. An impossibly large sum enough to restart the project."

Rex recalls the first day when he came home and his mother had slammed the receiver. Could it be that his mother had decided against the Nanite Project and their father had chosen to embrace it? But hey, wait. Isn't the more important question the one about Providence? What the hell? Providence was funding the Nanite Project...? But he just shut down Providence, which means the Nanite Project is shut down again, right? Worse still, if he was the leader of Providence and he was funding the Nanite Project...

"Rex? Are you okay, _mijo_?" César asks.

"No. I... I need to think."

He doesn't look back. He ignores the shouts behind him and bolts out of the kitchen. His mind is going around in circles, trying to figure out everything that's happened and all that he's learned. And it's not even like he's really thinking about it. He's always been able to rely on his builds to get somewhere. So when he finally realizes where he is, he's driving down the road on Moss's motorcycle.

He doesn't have a set destination in mind. He just drives.

* * *

The fact that he ended up in the mountain has to be some kind of a sign. He parks the motorcycle and just sit on the grass, looking up at the obscured view of the night sky.

"A bit late for a late night drive, isn't it?"

And of course, of course, _he_'s here to make things worse.

"Six," Rex mumbles. Except that's wrong. It's not Six. Not in this universe.

The man in the green suit comes to sit down next to Rex, looking a little surprised when Rex makes no move to run.

"Not running today?"

"I'm tired," Rex answers. "And maybe you can answer some questions for me."

"Only if you answer few of mine."

Rex nods.

Six hesitates, as if he doesn't quite trust that Rex will just randomly agree like this. Then he says, "It's been bothering me. Why do you call me Six?"

"Because no matter what number you are, you'll always be Six."

"I'm One."

"Don't matter."

"What do you know about White Knight?"

"Hm? Isn't he just a member of Providence?"

Six's jaw line tighten. "That's just it. After he told me that he was part of that group, he vanished. I have not been able to find any sign of my partner or Providence. _As if they don't exist_."

"That's because they don't, Six."

"It's One. And I'm starting to get sick and tired of hearing those words."

"No, as in... As of tonight, Providence has been disbanded."

And Rex laughs and laughs, because damn it. Of everything, that seems to be the only thing that's gone right tonight.


	13. Of Family and Van Kleiss

Hey guys. Remember that time when I said I was going to do the NaNoWriMo? Hahaha... About that...

* * *

"What do you mean disbanded?" Six demands, one eyebrow raising up. "What do you know about Providence? Rex Salazar-"

"Hey Six, why did you chase me?"

"It's One," he corrects, looking a little peeved that Rex isn't answering his question. Instead of lashing out, he pushes his sunglasses up before sitting down next to Rex on the grass. "I chased you because I thought you had the answers."

Rex chuckles lightly at that. "Are you kidding me? I'm just as lost as you are, if not more!"

"Certainly don't act that way."

"That's just the Rex charm!"

A gentle silence befalls them and for that moment, Rex can pretend that he's back home at the Keep. Six is by his side as he always will be, memory loss or not. And none of the craziness happened. It's just him, Providence's Weapon, and Six, his nanny. No worries about Quarry or Providence or his family. It's just the two of them on a lazy night, overlooking the landscape together.

The silence is interrupted by a buzz of a cellphone. Six reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. He checks the caller ID, frowns, and picks up. There's a frozen silence before Six suddenly stands up, walking out of Rex's hearing range and whispering furiously. And it's all so brand new and strange because Rex isn't getting a call. Usually, when Six got a call like that, Rex did as well, except it wasn't to a cellphone, but to the comm links and...

Six walks back, looking cold as always. But Rex is an expert at reading Six now. He knows what that look means. Six is unsettled by whatever news was over the phone. And since it doesn't look like he's going to share with Rex what was said, Rex is going to just have to let it be. So instead, he stands up and dusts his clothes.

"Hey Six, give me a ride home."

"You have your bike."

"Yeah, but it's illegal for me to drive," Rex reminds him.

"... You had no trouble doing so to get here."

Rex gives him a bright grin. "C'mon, man! Just drop me off at home! Don't you want to spend more time with me?"

Six's look clearly says "No, I really don't," but he doesn't outright disagree. He just walks over to the bike and holds up his hand for the key. Rex grins.

* * *

It's odd to be behind someone else when they're driving. The wind isn't as fierce from back here, and it feels strangely like he's being protected, even though he's the one with his arms around Six's waist. Six is warm and smells faintly of mints, and Rex likes that he can close his eyes and pretend that everything is okay. He can pretend that the universe never changed and that he's not going to face his angry family soon.

* * *

Rex has no idea when he fell asleep. But when he comes to, he's in the living room with Six's green jacket and a soccer blanket wrapped around him. He yawns and stretches, feeling pretty good in general. Plus, there's the smell of bacon in the air, so how bad can things really be?

He follows the smell into the kitchen, where the sight makes his mouth drop open.

At the dining table, Six sits, looking more uncomfortable than Rex has ever seen him. Next to him, César glares daggers at him, as if he's blaming Six for everything bad in the world. Rex's mom sits there, too, sipping her coffee gently as if she was immune to the tension between the other two. By the stove, Angela stands, humming lightly as she fries bacon and eggs.

"Morning," Rex calls. "I see everyone's become friends while I was sleeping."

"Rex!" There's relief in César's eyes, almost as if he had feared that Rex might not wake up. "Are you alright? Did this guy try anything? _Mijo_-"

"César, I'm fine. You're such a _preocupón_! But what's going on here? Why's Six eating with us?" Shouldn't he have just left Rex at the doorsteps or something? Why is he sitting at the table as if he's supposed to be here?

"It's One," Six corrects. "And I'm here because you asked me to be."

"Eh? I did?" Rex has no recollection of this. He just remembers asking Six to drive him home and… What happened to Moss's motorcycle? If Moss doesn't get it back, would he get really upset at Rex?

"_Mijo_, I think you owe us an explanation," Violeta points out in a sickly sweet tone. "You said some hurtful things last night and then returned home with... Mr. One here."

"I would like to hear this, too," Six adds. That traitor.

Rex thinks fast. An explanation? What can he say? What should he say? The truth? Hell no! Then what? What can he say that will get him out of this? His eyes land in César, who's giving him an encouraging look. And suddenly, he remembers their conversation about family.

"_Mamá_, I want us to be a family."

"And what does that mean?" She asks, pursing her lips. It's just like the conversation that Rex had with César that it seems almost funny. But this isn't the time to laugh.

"It means that we care about each other," César says, his voice soft. "It means that we back each other and asks how the others' day was. It means we go back to who we were, what we did for each other, before the Nanite Project shut down."

Before she can answer, the doorbell rings. There's a dark look in her eyes and Rex isn't sure if he's going to look forward to the potential explosion. Angela assures them that she got this and goes to answer the door. There's a small pause before she lets out a loud yelp and shouts something in emotional Spanish that Rex can't quite understand it. Fearing for the worst, Rex rushes forward, Six close behind.

But instead of danger, there's just a man standing at the door that Rex had only ever seen in pictures. Angela is giving him a huge hug, babbling something in rapid Spanish that Rex can't focus on. Because this man before him… Isn't he…?

"Dad...?"

"Rex? Is that you? You've grown, _mijo_!" Rafael exclaims when he sees Rex. He laughs warmly and pats Rex on the head. There's a sad look to his eyes, almost as if he's regretting something.

"Raf? Why...? What are you...?"

"Vi... The project... It... It's Providence. They're gone. As if they don't exist. Ah, that is to say, all of their funding and everything's gone too. Like those never existed either. All of our access, all of our data… Everything. Just gone in the span of merely hours last night."

"Oh, Raf. They shut you down again."

Rafael looks down at his feet. "I know... I know I messed up. But... May I come in?"

* * *

"Things seem to be working out pretty well for you," Six says softly to Rex as the group makes their way back to the kitchen.

"I guess...?" Six isn't right about that, but Rex isn't about to disagree with him. The last thing he needs is to babble to Six about the life Rex used to have.

"It's ok to be happy with your accomplishments, Rex. Smile."

* * *

Rafael is a quiet sort of man. But Rex isn't sure if it's because he's disappointed with himself for losing yet another opportunity to complete the project or if that's just who he is. Rex wishes that he actually knew which one is right, but he really doesn't know his dad or mom. They've always been just pictures or stories, and to meet them finally face-to-face like this…

They all sit at the dining table, awkwardly looking at each other. Six is still here as well, much to César's annoyance. But it appears that he's not planning on leaving any time soon. Angela cooks for them all, looking like she might burst into tears of joy any minute. She looks like there are little wings on her feet as she bounces from one area of the kitchen to another, getting food ready for them. She's the only one who can't seem to grasp the tension.

In the end, Rex can't take the silence anymore. He finally asks the question that's been bothering him since his dad declared that the project shut down again. "Dad, the project... What did you do with the leftover nanites?"

"We deactivated them when we realized that Providence was gone."

Rex breathes a sigh of relief. Good to know he doesn't have to worry about EVOs on top of everything.

"I'm surprised that you know about it," Rafael says, a fond smile on his face. "You never seemed all that interested in the sciences."

"Rex loves science," César grumbles. "He's always loved it. But you were always too busy with your project to care about it."

Rafael snaps his mouth shut, looking more hurt than anything. And it's a surprise, because didn't César protect their mom last night? So why's he this bitter with their dad?

"Get off your high horse, _hermano_. You didn't care until recently either."

His brother shoots him a hurt look, and Rex feels a little guilty, but he thinks that this is only fair.

"Boys..." Violeta warns.

"I'm just saying," Rex says with a shrug. "As a family, we messed up. All of us, César, don't give me that look. So why don't we just... Try again?"

"What do you mean?"

Rex remembers his days back at the Keep. He remembers Bobo cooking for them, Six and Holiday giving each other exasperated looks, and Noah playing ball with him. He remembers the fun, the joy of having people who cares, the deep yearning for a way to connect to his then-mysterious past. He forms a makeshift plan, using his memories as a guide.

"Mandatory family time. Until at least the awkwardness goes away. We are only going to drift further apart if we don't. And I want my family. I want us to be close. It's going to be awkward at first. But we'll take it slow. We'll make do. Let's be a family again."

There are no disagreements, and Rex takes it as a good sign.

* * *

He doesn't quite realize how badly their family needed this until they all eat breakfast together. There's a deathly silence hanging above them and Rex feels like he's suffocating. He tugs nervously at his collar before giving up.

"So I'm going to participate in the table tennis tournament."

There's a stunned pause as everyone stares at him.

"You play table tennis?" is the first question he gets. Then there's "I didn't even know that there were any tournaments for it near here!"

"I played a few times before," Rex says. He remembers standing by Noah's side, both of them armed with paddles. "It was fun."

"What's the prize?"

"Ah... Something really valuable to me." But to be honest, Rex doesn't think it'll seem very important to other people.

There's another awkward pause before Violeta speaks up. "I would like to see you compete."

"Let's all go," Rafael suggests. His eyes meet Violeta's, and they share a small look. "As a family."

Rex beams.

* * *

"César? What are you doing?"

His brother presses a finger to his lips and motions Rex to come close. They peer into their parents' room, where Rafael and Violeta are speaking softly to each other.

"I know I can't apologize enough. But I am sorry. I didn't mean to become so consumed. I didn't mean to abandon you or this family. I just… It seemed so much like the right thing to do. I thought that the nanites would save us."

"We both messed up, Raf. And while we were arguing, our sons..."

"They're good boys. We've raised…" and Rafael falters because he realizes the truth of the matter. They didn't raise their boys. Their boys raised themselves without any kind of parents to watch over them and love them.

"Exactly," Violeta whispers, her voice hoarse. As if she knows exactly where his train of thought is taking him. "We missed out on their lives. What kind of parents are we? We were so lost in ourselves and our petty fights that we completely forgot about our children."

"We'll make it up to them, Vi!"

"How? They're grown up, Raf. We missed it. We missed being there for them when they were growing up. We don't know what Rex's favorite food is. We don't know if César ever went on a date. We don't know what kind of lives they had before this. What right do we have to walk back into their lives, after all these years?"

"Like Rex said, well start slow. We can be a family again. We just have to try harder." Rafael takes Violeta's hands. "Violeta, I married you because I love you and wanted a family with you. That hasn't changed."

"Same here."

César has an awed smile on his face as he closes the door to their parents' room. He turns to Rex, eyes shining with unshed tears. "_¡Dios mío!_ I never thought I'd see the day... Thank you."

* * *

"So why are you still here, Six?"

"It's One. And I've worked out a deal with your mother."

"That's not creepy at all."

"It just means that for a time, I will stay by your side."

Rex blinks, staring at Six in partial disbelief. Because hey, isn't this starting to become a lot like the other universe? Or maybe this is just the way of the world fixing itself. Because how can there be a world without Six and Rex as partners? A lop-sided grin appears on his face. "Wait, you're gonna be my nanny?"

"I think the idea was body guard."

"_Hermano_, Six is gonna be my nanny!"

"_¡¿__Que?!_"

* * *

It's slow and awkward, but Rex can't help but to think that it's worth it. He's rebuilding his family. He gets to know them in ways you can't from a photograph or passing tales. And it feels so much like he's finally come home that he can't stop grinning for most of the weekend. And before he knows it, it's Monday morning and César is offering him a ride to school, already forgetting that Rex is supposed to be grounded.

"Ah, I'll be fine, César. Stop worrying so much."

When Rex turns to open the door, Six is there, ready to follow him out. Rex gives him a dirty look. "You, too. I'm going to be fine. It's just school. Why don't you and César play snaps or something?"

He leaves to their complaints of indignity and comes face-to-face with his group of friends. Cricket looks amused at the sounds coming from the now-closed door. Walter just raises a brow. Circe shakes her head. Tuck smiles.

"Hey guys," Rex greets. "Ready for school?"

The answer is tired groans of annoyances. Rex laughs.

* * *

The school is a buzz with excitement, much to their confusion. And it's not until someone walks up to Rex, slaps him on the back and tells him, "Good luck, man! I'm rooting for you!" that Rex realizes what this is about.

"Oh! It's the table tennis tournament!"

The others look at him as if he's lost his mind, but before they can ask questions, other students walking by shout both encouragements and challenges to Rex.

"Hey buddy! Looking forward to the matches!"

"Don't worry, Rex! We'll all be cheering for you!" the Cheer squad shouts, blowing kisses at him.

"Yo, Salazar! No disrespect or anything, but you are going down! You are going to be our slave for a week!"

Wait... What? Rex frowns, tilting his head as he thinks about this. Slave? He doesn't remember that being part of the deal. Well, he said he'd be Noah's slave but...?

Tuck's face is pale when he turns to Rex with a terrified look. "What the hell, Rex?!" The others have similar responses, but Tuck is the loudest.

"Ah... Things seem to have escalated a little from when I first started the tournament..." Rex says with a sheepish laugh.

Tuck takes a deep breath. "Okay. Fine. We can fix this. If we win, then you won't be anyone's slave. I'm going to have to brush up on my table tennis skills, but you're in luck. I'm Asian."

Rex raises a brow. "Oh, so you're competing, too?"

"... What do you mean? Isn't this a partnered match...?"

"It is. But I'm partnering with Noah."

"With Nixon?!" Cricket exclaims, looking at Rex with betrayed eyes. "But why?"

"I thought you hated that guy," Walter adds, looking more confused than anything else.

"To prove to everyone that we can be friends," Rex says with a shrug. "Why else would I do it?"

The others look at him disbelieving, as if they can't quite believe that he can be this stupid. And that's just hurtful, because he's not being stupid. He's just being honest. If he can get his family together in one weekend (albeit it's still a work in progress), then why the hell can't he be friends with Noah again?

"Salazar!"

"Hey Noah!" Rex says with a wave. Speak of the devil...

Noah jogs up to them, looking at the others suspiciously. But whatever he has to say must outweigh any fears he has for them, because he turns to Rex and very seriously says, "We need to practice after school or something. Because I absolutely refuse to become someone else's slave."

"What are you talking about?"

"According to these official fliers, the winners will get Salazar, that's you, and his partner, that's me, as their slaves for a week. And as much as I want to see you humiliated, I'm not going to become someone else's slave for that sake. Got it?"

"Yeah, sure! But uh... What's this about an official flier?"

* * *

The search for the source of the official flier leads Rex to a biology classroom. Seeing that he only has about two minutes before the bell will ring, he figures there's no time for tact. He just opens the door and walks in.

Breach is sitting on the table, sketching something with a peaceful look on her face. On the chairs nearby, Biowulf sits with Skalamander, both of them ceasing their conversation when Rex walks in. In the front of the classroom, Van Kleiss stands, scribbling something on the chalkboard. It appears that there isn't a class first thing in the morning, because the room is empty of anyone else.

"Rex?" Van Kleiss asks, looking a little surprised at seeing him here. "I thought you said you wanted nothing to do with me."

"I still don't. I'm just here to ask about the fliers. What's this about me being a slave to the winner?"

Breach's face turn red before she ducks down to her sketchbook, furiously moving her pencil. Well, that explains that.

"Look, he's complaining even though he asked us for help!" Biowulf says to Skalamander. "What an asshole."

"It's not that I'm not grateful, I'm just-"

"What are you going to do about it, Salazar? Cry?"

"Biowulf, that's enough." Van Kleiss turns to Rex with a kind smile that feels much too gentle to belong on his face. "I hope you don't mind. When the kids mentioned it, I thought it would be fun. I rented out the gym space for you, and cleared things up with the principal. You should be able to host your tournament this weekend without any hitch."

"This weekend?" No, nevermind that, the more important thing to ask is- "Why are you helping me?"

There's a small pause as Van Kleiss tilts his head to the side. "As I suspected," he says. "You lost your memory, didn't you?"

Rex feels a strange chill go down his spine. Van Kleiss is still smiling gently and it's starting to creep him out. "How did you...?"

"Then I suppose you've been searching for this, no?" Van Kleiss pulls out the damned diary that Rex has been searching desperately for.

"That's...! Give that back! That's mine and you have no right to keep it away from me!"

Van Kleiss shakes his head and sighs dramatically. "Still has no manners as usual."

Rex takes a deep breath and tries again. "What do you want?"

"Well..." Van Kleiss pretends to think, looking at the diary with a hint of sadness. "What I've always wanted, of course."

Like that's not vague at all.

But then the bell rings, signaling the beginning of class, and Rex gnashes his teeth. "This isn't over," he growls, making sure to make eye contact with the other Pack members as well. "I'm coming back."


	14. Interlude: Let's Talk about Providence

Just a quick heads-up that Six will refer to himself as One for the most part.

Warning: Implied character death, potential name confusion, mama bear.

* * *

"It's a lonely job," the former One once told him when One was still Six. "After all, One is the loneliest number."

He hadn't quite understood back then. All that mattered to him then was getting stronger, getting better, getting the title "One" no matter what. Looking back on it, he can barely remember why it mattered so much to him then. All he remember is White Knight's laughter as he patted him on the shoulder and said, "Well, you'll be the un-loneliest One in the world, partner!"

And that's how it was supposed to have been. It was supposed to be "One and White Knight, Partners."

This wasn't supposed to have happened.

* * *

The phone call must have come in the middle of the night, because it's not until morning briefing that White Knight brings it up.

"You're... leaving?" asks Six (back then, he was still Six. It will be a few years later when he achieves the title "One").

"It's not that I'm leaving," White Knight says, making a face. "Think of it as... I'm going on a vacation. It's just for a short while, partner. I'll be back, poking fun at you in no time at all!"

"But what the hell is Providence?" Six points out. Because if they don't even know what this organization is, is it really wise to join it?

"It doesn't exist," White Knight tells him, dead serious.

Six gives him a look, which just makes his partner laugh.

"You worry too much. It's going to be fine."

But it isn't.

* * *

Six doesn't realize that something's wrong until two months later, when he realizes that he can't get in contact with White Knight. To say the least, he goes berserk. He destroys everything that he can get his hands on. He throws things and he slices them. By the end of it all, he's standing in the midst of the chaos that he's created, former One's words echoing in his head.

_The loneliest number_...

* * *

Two years after White Knight leaves, Six takes his job more seriously. He begins to climb up in numbers and he starts to close himself off. Nothing matters but the job. Nothing matters but attaining that title and figuring out what Providence is.

Four years after White Knight leaves, he finally achieves the title "One." For a brief minute, he truly thinks that it'll cause his old partner to walk in through the door and cheer for him. But that's just a bad dream and One continues with his life, searching for Providence.

Six years after White Knight leaves, One finds sign of Providence.

Rather, it's more correct to say that he finds someone else just as obsessed with finding Providence as he is. They don't meet face to face at first. It's just an online meetup by accident, and they just exchange few information here and there. But no matter where they go, they always run into this strange wall and the firm words of "Providence doesn't exist."

And then the message arrives, asking to finally meet up in real life.

* * *

To be honest, One doesn't know what he should expect. Half of him wants it to be White Knight. It's White Knight trolling him as he used to do. But he knows the chances are low so he shoves that feeling down as deep as he can. It can't be White Knight. White Knight has been gone for six years now, and what are even the chances that he's alive in their line of business?

On that Tuesday afternoon, he stands in the mall, waiting for the other person to show up so they can talk about Providence.

He doesn't expect the _kid_. He doesn't expect to be called Six. He doesn't expect for someone to so casually mention Providence and White Knight in one sitting. He doesn't expect to be evaded. He doesn't expect the kid to run.

And by the time he's ready to begin the chase, a hand grabs his shoulder and a voice thick with British accent asks, "One? I was expecting you to be a little shorter. I mean, you mentioned that you wore all green, so I was thinking leprechaun, you know?"

"... You must be Gatlocke."

For now, One files the kid away to be researched later. He has something more important to worry about.

* * *

"First off, everything that we say here has to stay here," Gatlocke begins.

They're sitting at a Chinese restaurant, much to One's confusion. When he tries to bring up that topic, Gatlocke just holds up his hands and gives him a disgusted look like One's being ridiculous. So One just decides to let it be. Gatlocke passes him a tray of food and One just stares blankly at the food before pushing it to the side. He's not hungry and there's something more pressing to focus on.

"Alright," One agrees. "What exactly have you found?"

Gatlocke hesitates for a second before pulling out a thin folder. "Like you, I've ran into the same bull about Providence not existing only a thousand and one times."

"Which we both know is a lie," One can't help but to add.

"Exactly. I've managed to find a small connection, though. It's really small, so don't expect much, but I did uncover something." He hands the folder to One and gives him time to flip through it.

"... The Consortium?"

"They're funding it," Gatlocke says. "Or they created it. I'm not sure. But they're connected somehow. The key to figuring out Providence is breaking into Consortium."

"And you want my help," One concludes.

"Sort of. Right now, I've managed to convince a Consortium representative that I'm a trustworthy guy. But I need to seal it."

"By using César Salazar?" One frowns as he looks down at the picture of the scientist working for Consortium. There's a detailed report attached to the picture, giving One a small snapshot of a genius of a man. He flips the page, expecting more files on other scientists, and freezes.

"Yeah. And his brother Rex. You probably won't believe me, but that kid isn't normal."

Rex Salazar. The kid that knew about White Knight and Providence. One's frown deepen as his eyes skim over the file. Juvenile detention center, motorcycle riding, a criminal named Quarry... Absolutely nothing on how he might know White Knight. "Oh, I believe you. So what's the plan? Blackmail? Kidnapping? Assassination?"

Gatlocke gives One a dirty look. "For now, _observation_. I'll keep in contact with you about anything else. So keep your ears peeled."

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

Gatlocke doesn't say anything about staying away from the kid, although he does blow a casket when he finds out. But in the end, it all ends up in their favor, and César hires Gatlocke to "protect" Rex from One. It's all fine and dandy, and they think they're getting closer to the truth when Gatlocke takes the kid to the same Chinese restaurant with a wire for One to listen to. It's only when the kid mentions Providence that Gatlocke loses it and One has to unexpectedly try to salvage the operation.

One doesn't like Gatlocke as a partner. He's clumsy and emotional in all the wrong ways. But right now, this is the only way he's going to find Providence and therefore White Knight, so he just grits his teeth and goes with it.

* * *

It's a coincidence that One just happens to be on the mountain when Rex drives up. And to be honest, One figures that once Rex sees him, he'll bolt. He doesn't expect a heart-to-heart where Rex tells him a chilling secret:

"Providence has been disbanded."

Because hey, doesn't that mean that they were going after the wrong brother? Doesn't this mean that more so than the Consortium, their focus should have been Rex Salazar? And before he can get these burning questions answered, the phone rings, and One's frustrated and annoyed at the world.

"... Six..."

One freezes at the voice over the phone. He stands abruptly and walks a few paces away, making sure to put some space between himself and Rex, just in case.

"White? Is that you? Where have you been? What are you doing? I've been searching for you!"

"Shut up. I don't have much time. Earlier tonight, Providence was disbanded. Quarry sounded like he was worried about something. And damn it, I should've been more alert."

Something clatters in the background. "White? Speak up. It's hard to hear you."

"Shut up! Just listen carefully to me, okay? The key is Quarry. Find that man and protect him, no matter what. Do you understand me? You have to stop the Consortium. For me. Just... Just do that one thing for me, as your old partner."

There's a small pause and One is ready to speak when White Knight adds one more thing.

"I'm sorry. But if you ever become One, I'm afraid you'll have to be the loneliest number."

Then a loud bang echoes through the receiver and there's nothing but the dial tone. One staggers. He doesn't remember putting the phone away. He doesn't remember walking back to Rex. But as if the kid can pick up on his unease, the kid insists on not leaving him alone.

And it's not quite what the doctor ordered, but it helps numb the pain.

* * *

They race down the mountain and One grudgingly appreciate the feel of a finely tuned machine purring. The cold night air feels like small daggers against his skin, prickling him as if to remind him that he's failed. All this time, all he's been trying to do is find Providence so that he can reunite with his partner and now...

And now...

The grip around his waist loosens and One glances back. "Rex...?"

It's only because he's the most dangerous man in the world, he reasons. Because there's no other way that he would have been able to catch the kid before he fell off. One cradles the damned sleeping kid and drives him back home. In the back of his mind, he marvels at Rex's timing for snapping him out every time he feels like the world is about to go dark.

* * *

He's greeted by the angry brother, who alternates from shouting abuse at One and trying to ask the kid if he's alright. It's the mom who has to put a stop to all the shoutings. And it's her who calmly talks with One.

"I see," she says, her lips drawn into a thin line when One finishes his curt explanation. "Thank you for bringing my son back."

One holds up the kid for César to take, but Rex's hands have somehow found One's green jacket and refuses to let go. He mumbles incoherently, snuggling towards One as if searching for warmth away from the cold night air. Then softly, so softly that they would have missed it otherwise, Rex whispers, "Please don't leave, Six."

And César can keep yelling abuse as much as he wants, but One can't bring himself to go.

* * *

"My eldest tells me that you're the most dangerous man in the world," Violeta Salazar says. She looks tired, but her eyes are sharp. One does well to not put his guard down.

"I am."

"Then pray tell me what you were doing following my youngest."

"I'm searching for Providence."

Her face goes blank and then to frigid anger. "It wasn't enough that Providence ripped my family apart, now they're going to target my son?"

"I don't know. All I know is that somehow, Providence was shut down and your son knew about it. A... An old friend called me and affirmed the information. His last words before he... was murdered was to protect Quarry. As of now, the only person I know who knows Quarry is your son."

Violeta isn't an idiot. She puts together the pieces before One does. Because the look on her face isn't just one of anger. It's one of worry and fear for her son.

"Your friend... He was part of Providence?"

"Yes."

"And if he was killed and Quarry needs to be protected... that means someone's killing Providence Agents."

"I would assume so."

"They'll come after Rex to get to Quarry, won't they? Whoever they are."

"It is a possibility."

"Then you can't go. You have to protect my son."

"I have no obligation to do so. My friend's wish was to protect Quarry, not anyone else."

Violeta smiles gently, but her eyes doesn't reflect it. Instead, One feels the small chill that normal people feel when in the presence of a great and dangerous force. "I am a scientist, Mr. One. I know of more ways to kill a human than I suspect you do. If my son is in any kind of danger, I promise you, your title as the most dangerous man in the world won't mean much when _I'm_ coming after you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal."

* * *

But to be honest, even if Violeta hadn't said anything, One doesn't think he would have left.

Rex Salazar, as Gatlocke had said, is not a normal kid. When he's around, One feels at home and at ease. Like it's okay for him to put his guard down. Like it's okay to grieve for White Knight and take some time for himself. Like it's okay to allow the smallest bit of emotion shine through his thick walls he's built in the six years that White Knight was gone. When he's with Rex, he feels like...

He feels like Six.

He feels like he's not the loneliest number in the world.


	15. Of Tournaments and Diaries

This chapter contains time skips and general vagueness. I promise it's for a good reason. I just wanted to warn you before you guys start.

* * *

Rex can't focus during class. His mind keeps replaying this morning over and over again, reminding him of Van Kleiss and the diary. Part of him is ready to say, "No. I don't need it, not really." But the other part of him is curious. What's in that diary? Who was he before to command Providence? Why did he command it? And just why does Van Kleiss have the diary?

He mulls over the thoughts, turning it around and around in his head. This is starting to drive him crazy. All the questions and no answers. Just how it he supposed to focus on anything?

Then a hand reaches over and taps him on the shoulder. Rex looks up to Cricket's reassuring smile and he finds himself relaxing. In the halls, Walter gives his arm an encouraging squeeze. Circe winks and gives him a secretive smile. Tuck loosely places his arm around Rex's shoulder. And somehow, Rex thinks that things are going to be okay.

* * *

Lunch time can't come soon enough.

Rex pushes aside the people trying to crowd him and finds himself a nice, empty table. He thanks the encouragements tossed at him and he rises to the challenges that are thrown his way, but for the most part, his mind is elsewhere. And before long, his usual group is sitting with him on the table, excitedly talking about one thing or another.

"Guys," Rex says, quickly getting their attention. "I found my diary."

"Okay," Walter says, his eyebrows knit together in confusion. "So what?"

"Van Kleiss has it."

That elicits gasps and shocked looks.

"What? But why would he...?" Cricket's eyes flashes with realization. "Rex, remember that time when we had English in the library? And you left early? Weren't you sitting next to Breach?"

"You think she stole it?" Circe asks, her voice low. There's a promise of blood in that tone of voice, and from the way the rest of the group is tensing, Rex can see the chaos before it even happens.

"Calm down, guys. I mean, yeah, I'm ticked that Van Kleiss has it, but the bigger problem is that I want it back-"

Tuck stands up, cracking his knuckles as he goes.

"Sit back down!" Rex exclaims. "I don't want it back like that!"

The group gathers back around the table and looks at him, slightly peeved.

"Okay," Walter says, crossing his arms. "Then what exactly do you want?"

"I want to get it back fair and square." Rex gives them all a serious look. "So I was wondering if you knew something that he might want."

"You did say that he used to work with your dad," Circe points out. "Maybe he wants his old job back?"

"Well... That's kind of awkward. Dad just lost his job."

There's a small pause as everyone thinks about the question. Just what would Van Kleiss want from Rex? It's been driving him crazy all morning, and from the confused looks on his friends' faces, he's not alone in not arriving at an answer to that question.

"Why not just call him Uncle Van like you used to do?"

Everyone turns to Noah, who's standing a little awkwardly by their table with his food tray. He gives them an uncomfortable shrug. "I'm just saying," he says, "Maybe he just wants to be acknowledged as family again."

Rex's brows furrow. "What are you talking about?" Van Kleiss? Family? Ew!

"Never mind!" Noah says, shaking his head as if in disgust. "Anyways, I wanted to cement practice after school." With that, Noah hands Rex a small piece of paper with directions written on it. "We'll meet there and figure it out."

With that, he's gone before anyone else can say something mean.

* * *

The shrill of the bells is the only relief Rex feels at the end of the day before his eyes spot the familiar green. Six is leaning against his locker, waiting for him. There are a thousand and one things that runs through Rex's head before he finally walks up with an exasperated look on his face.

"Really?" Rex asks. "You couldn't just wait for me at home?"

"I figured you might want to spend your time out with your friends. If that's the case, I need to be there and not at your home."

"But why?" Rex whines. But Six doesn't answer and in the end, he helps Rex figure out where the address Noah gave him is.

* * *

Rex isn't too sure what he expected. But a small gym with a table tennis arena set up is not very high on the list. He blinks and glances around and then looks back at the small piece of paper that Noah gave him.

"Don't just stand there!" Noah snaps. He's already decked out in gym clothes, looking ready for a match. "I'm going to go easy on you, just to see where you are level-wise. Then we'll work on a training regiment from there."

Rex just barely holds back a laugh. Because really? Even in a world where table tennis isn't all that important, Noah still finds a way to make it that important to him. Rex throws down his backpack and picks up a paddle. Six settles down on a nearby chair, opening his phone in a slightly distracted manner.

"Bring it!"

* * *

The three of them end up walking home together after the brutal practice. Noah's really gung-ho about this, citing resources and nutrition facts at Rex to prepare him for this weekend (as if changing his diet is going to do anything in less than a week). Six hangs back a little, giving them some space. But Rex doesn't miss the way Six glances around, eyes spotting something before sticking closer to the two boys.

There's some kind of danger brewing, Rex realizes. But before he can comment on it, Noah snaps his fingers in front of his face, demanding his attention.

"Salazar, this is important!" Then Noah's off, telling him other things a mile a minute, and Rex can't help but to think that maybe, just maybe, Noah missed this, just as he's missed his best friend.

* * *

His father is cooking in the kitchen with Angela when Rex and Six get back. There are no signs of anyone else, but Rex can't help to ask anyways.

"Are César and mom at work?"

"Yes," Rafael says with a soft smile. "But don't worry, they'll be home by 8 pm for dinner. Ah, that isn't too late for you, is it? I can get you a quick snack before, you need?"

"That'd be awesome! Noah was a slave driver. I think he's secretly enjoying seeing me in this much pain."

Rex sits at the table, watching his father work. Six sits across from him, as if he fears some kind of an attack in the comfort of Rex's own home. Or perhaps he's just getting ready in case Rex runs again? Except why would Rex run now? Jeesh, Six worries about the weirdest things.

"Hey dad, I have a question."

"Go ahead and ask. I can't promise you answers, but everyone should always be free to ask questions."

"What was Van Kleiss to this family?"

His father tenses. For a few seconds, it seems that everything has frozen. Then his father slowly releases his breath, forcing his body to relax. And when that's all done, he turns to look at Rex with a fake smile on his face. "Ah _mijo_, it's better to forget about that trash. He's nothing but an embarrassment to the entire scientific community."

"But why? What did he do? Why was he fired?"

"You'll learn this when you're older, Rex," Rafael says kindly as he returns to cooking. "But there are certain things that humans should never do. I'm sure Mr. One can tell you all about it if he has time."

The conversation changes to a more light-hearted tone about Six and other things. Rex just wants to groan and smack his head against the table. Because really? That's his father's excuse? He'll learn when he's older. Jeesh, and here he thought that's just something that TV writers did because they wanted to be mysterious and whatnot.

* * *

The dinner at 8 pm is awkward as hell. For the most part, it's Rex trying to break the ice and the rest of the family trying to figure out just how human interaction goes.

"Oh, can I ask for a favor?"

"What is it, _mijo_?" César asks with an encouraging smile.

"Can we invite Dr. Holiday and Dr. Rhodes to the Table Tennis Tournament?"

"Are those the doctors who's been keeping an eye on you?" Violeta asks. There's bit of sadness there. Possibly regret. Rex doesn't like seeing it, but he knows that for a while more, that feeling isn't going to go away.

"It's your match," Rafael tells him. "If you'd like doctors to be there to support you, we can even invite Rylander and Meechum and their families!"

"I think I'd like that."

* * *

The week passes in that fashion: School, friends, practice with Noah, Six always hanging about, and dinner with the family. Rex easily falls into the rhythm of things, marveling at the sheer normalcy of the situation. Is this what it feels to live a normal life? How can anyone complain about this being monotonous when every day is filled with that warm fuzzy feeling in his heart that reminds him of what he has finally managed to grasp?

"Rex, _mijo_, today's the day," his mother greets when he comes down for breakfast.

Six raises his coffee cup in acknowledgement.

"You ready for this?" César asks as he heaps pancakes on Rex's plate and passes him syrup.

"I found the camcorder!" Rafael exclaims as he walks into the kitchen. "We'll make sure to record everything, _mijo_."

Rex grins.

* * *

He has to admit that it's so weird to see the school so filled with life when it's the weekend. It almost appears that nearly everyone in the school has shown up with friends and family. The entire place is a buzz with excitement and Rex can't stop himself from laughing. _This_, he thinks, _this is how life should be_.

"Salazar, what are you waiting for? We need to get going!" Noah shouts, waving him towards the locker room.

* * *

"Tuck! Sqwydd! You guys are both competing?"

"So are the girls," Walter tells him with a grin. "Let's be honest, Rex. Who would pass up the chance to have you as their slave?"

* * *

There are surprisingly a lot of competitors. And to be honest, Rex is actually pretty impressed that Van Kleiss had this all organized. Because there are vendors and schedules and apparently t-shirts as well, and don't even get him started on the security guards (and the way Bobo smugly tells him that he's bet everything against him). Part of him can't help but to tense, because why the hell would Van Kleiss go as far to do this for him?

Then he spots Biowulf and Skalamander with matching shirts that Breach must've made, getting ready for the match. Then he spots the smiles on everyone's face. And he can't help but to think that maybe he misjudged this Van Kleiss. Maybe Noah is right. Maybe all Van Kleiss wants is a family, just as Rex has always longed for one.

"We're up!" Noah yells, tossing a paddle at Rex. "You better not drag me down, Salazar!"

"I'm going to get more scores than you, Noah!"

"Oh, we'll just see about that!"

* * *

To be frank, Rex doesn't really remember the matches. He doesn't remember all the details that went into that Saturday. But what he does remember is that his family is there. That his friends are there. He remembers the immense joy and laughter. He remembers the fun and all the silliness that must have happened.

He remembers swinging the paddle, and the crowd going wild. He remembers Noah throwing his arms around his shoulders, screaming, "We did it! We won!"

Biowulf throws his paddle to the ground, growling in frustration, and Skalamander collapses, exhausted. Rex thinks that it must have been a very intense and close match, judging from the way they're all sweating and breathing hard, but he doesn't really remember it all that much. He just remembers that they won. They won and Noah's screaming in his ears and trapping him in a headlock.

"Whoa, Noah!"

It's only then that Noah lets go, fear bright in his eyes. "S-sorry," he stammers, eyes darting from side to side. "I just… I forgot…"

"Dude, it's fine. You just startled me is all."

Noah tilts his head to the side, looking a little confused. Then realization flashes in his eyes and it's replaced with worry. "Rex… Did you… Your memory…?"

It's starting to annoy Rex that everyone seems to know about his memory, whether they're close to him or not. But if this is going to help him bridge the gap to get his best friend back, he shouldn't complain. Rex shrugs sheepishly.

"Sort of?"

There's a beat of pause as Noah takes this in. He purses his lips, and his expression becomes cloudy, as if he can't quite decide on relief or regret. Then he lets out a breath and holds up his hand.

"I'm Noah," he says with a timid smile. "I would like to be your friend, Salazar."

"It's Rex." He corrects, taking his friend's hand. "And I would love to be your friend."

* * *

"_Mijo_, you were amazing!" César exclaims as he runs forward. The others are close behind him, all yammering for his attention. The only ones staying back are Holiday and Six, who seems to have found each other finally.

"Of course, I was!" Rex brags. He throws his arm around Noah's shoulders. "I have the best partner I could ask for!"

They laugh, and it's easy. And Rex realizes that he missed this. Well, not this per say. But he misses being able to laugh easy with his friends. He misses the goofy times he spent with the others. He misses that feeling of warmth he gets when he knows that he's loved. Wait. Didn't he already think that? Huh? Why is this train of thoughts feeling like déjà vu?

"Why don't we buy you kids ice cream?" Violeta suggests, smiling broadly. "As celebration for the victory?"

"Yeah! Ice cream!"

They start moving out and Rex pauses. He glances back and notices that Van Kleiss is standing a little off to the side, looking at the group with an unreadable expression. When he realizes that he's being watched, he meets Rex's eyes. The two stare for a bit before Van Kleiss finally walks forward.

"Kleiss," Rafael hisses, quickly stepping in front of Rex.

"Dad, it's fine. I need to talk to him." With that as his only defense, Rex walks forward to meet with Van Kleiss.

"Congratulations on your victory," Van Kleiss says softly. Almost gently.

"Thanks...? I don't think Biowulf and Skalamander appreciated it, though. They looked like they were really getting into it."

"Believe me, they loved it. It's good to see them relax and enjoy themselves." Van Kleiss pauses for a second. Then he reaches into his bag and pulls out the diary. "I believe this belongs to you."

"Huh? Why the change of heart? I thought you wanted-"

"And I have what I wanted, Rex. The question now becomes do you have what you want?"

Rex frowns but takes the diary. It doesn't look like it's been tampered with, which is a relief. But this is Van Kleiss. He can't relax yet.

"Well, thanks," Rex says. He raises a hand in goodbye before turning away.

He takes two steps away when Van Kleiss grabs his shoulder.

"Rex, please. Don't use your nanites anymore," he whispers lowly so that only the two of them can hear.

Before Rex can react, Six lashes out, expertly ripping Van Kleiss's hands off and throwing him to the ground. Then Six straightens his suit and turns to Rex.

"Time to leave," he says calmly.

But Rex can't shake off the feeling that maybe he is making a mistake by walking away. He just looks at Van Kleiss, who's being helped up by Biowulf and Skalamander.

"... Thanks, Uncle Van."

* * *

"Well, at least you got the diary back," Tuck says.

They're sitting at a giant counter, all five of them plus Noah. Rex's parents are sitting a bit way away with Six and César. Holiday seems to have already left, which makes sense since she has a hospital to run. They're all waiting on their orders while trying to warm up to Noah.

"I guess... But it's just really weird, okay? Why would he do that?"

"Because he's your Uncle, duh. Of course, he'd do nice things," Noah grumbles. He points at the diary. "So do we get to hear it or what?"

Rex grins. He powers it up and bypasses the password with his nanites. He breathes out a sigh of relief when the diary finally lets him in. "Let's see what I've been hiding..." He clicks the most recent voice entry and makes sure to lower the volume to not disturb too many people.

"... _Adios freeloaders. Finally convinced Quarry to take these leeches off my hands. He gets some new lapdogs. I get to walk away._.."

Rex slams the pause button, staring at the diary with ashen face. Because what? No. That can't be. Those words... Those words are from another world. They can't be on this diary.

"... Rex?" Circe asks, hesitantly holding out her hand as if debating whether to touch him or not.

He picks up the diary and stands up. "I need air. I'll be right back."

* * *

The air doesn't help. He stands in the street, staring at the diary in disbelief. Why? Just why are those words recorded on this diary? He hesitates for a second before playing the next recent post.

"_If you're listening to this now, you've already found the numbers I've hidden at my hideout. Those numbers will get you to Providence. Use them as resources. White Knight especially will be helpful. I think I... I found something I shouldn't have. And I'm so sorry, Tuck. But I messed up. I'm going to have to rely on you again. If the others ask, you have to make them go away. The next recording I make will make it easy for them to hate me. You can't let them be dragged into this war, do you understand? And if you can, get out. Let Quarry and the rest take care of this. Don't get any more involved than that. Please. Be safe. And I'm sorry._"

The entry ends and Rex releases a breath he hasn't realized that he's been holding. But that means...?

A flash of movement catches his attention. He looks up and sees someone move on the other side of the street. They pause for a second and look back, meeting Rex's eyes. And they might look different now that they're human, but Rex knows that person. He takes a step forward and the person's gone.

"Rex...?" Six asks as he walks out to check up on him. "Are you-"

There's no time for hesitation or reconsideration. Rex runs. He crosses the street, weaving through the traffic with ease of a trained soldier. There's a loud shout and car horns behind him, and it's only when Rex is safe on the other side that he looks back.

Six is being held back by César, both of them looking shocked at Rex. Six's face is filled with foreboding and César's is reluctant fear. Do they both know something…?

But there isn't any time to waste now that he knows that they're safe. Rex looks up to where that person's disappeared. He dashes forward, the name of the person already on his tongue.

"Quarry!"


	16. Interlude: Let's Talk about Rex III

And thus I finally answer questions while we quickly approach the end. I'm sorry guys, I meant to post this chapter last week, but then it kept getting longer and longer... VK is just a really wordy guy. And what's kind of sad is that this only have a small portion of the things I wanted to add. What's even sadder is that this is the only update this week. I'm sorry again.

Warnings: Mentions of domestic violence, suicidal tendencies, and drugs.

* * *

The Nanite Project is salvation.

Or at least it is supposed to be. All of them agree on that. All of them speak the same language (figuratively speaking, of course. They are from all over the world, after all, and even though they "speak science," there are always disputes). There aren't any miscommunication about that one thing, though. They all believe in it. The Nanite Project is salvation. And therefore, it is power.

Thinking back on it, Van Kleiss can't help but to marvel at their naivety.

* * *

When Consortium cut funding, they don't worry too much. Sometimes, you lose money, often because of miscommunication. But in the end, it's really not a big deal. You just find someone else with bigger pockets and even bigger ambition.

What they don't realize until after Violeta has her second baby is the reason why the funding got cut. It isn't disagreements over principles. It isn't due to lack of research on their parts. It is because the bodies of some of the Consortium members are found brutally murdered. It is no wonder then that they end up being eschewed. It is no wonder then that they are considered the "cursed" project. It is no wonder then, how easily things fall apart after that.

* * *

"It'll be for the best," Violeta tells them all. "We should just shut this project down."

Peter Meechum stands by her side, looking nervous but at the same confident in their decision. He just doesn't want to stand up to the rest of the scientists as always. "There's no point in pursing it," he adds unhelpfully.

"But Vi," Salazar begins. Then he closes his mouth as if he doesn't know what else to say and Van Kleiss rolls his eyes. This is exactly why Van Kleiss has never even considered the notion of romance. It cuts you at your stems and leave you bleeding without any hope of reprieve.

"If it bothers you then what's stopping you from leaving?" Van Kleiss points out. "If you don't like it, Vi, then return to your sons."

She purses her lips and crosses her arms. "Van, it's not just my family that I'm worried about. You've all heard the rumors. They think we're cursed. If we continue this-"

"We're scientists, Vi," Rylander speaks up. "We can't be cowed by rumors. Yes, people have died-"

"Everyone who has tried to fund us since have ended up dead. I don't think it's a coincidence." Violeta takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "What good is working on this research if we're all going to end up dead before we can even complete it?"

The rest, as they say, is history.

* * *

Van Kleiss never actually questions the reason why Salazar sometimes bring Rex over to their small, barely funded labs. He figures it is one of those deals that Salazar made with Violeta so he can keep working on the project. You know, take care of the newborn half of the time. Besides, usually César is there to watch over his little brother, so Van Kleiss doesn't have to worry too much about two brats running around in the labs (or so he tells himself until he realizes that César's too busy talking to Rylander about the latest research and whatnot to actually care about his little brother).

What does bother him is how much time the little kid spends chasing after him.

It just makes no sense. Rylander has a family. Salazar has a family. Van Kleiss is the only single man amongst them and yet he's always the one that Rex stops crying for. It's pretty easy to ignore the babe for the most part. If he ignores the baby long enough, Rex just falls asleep in the corner until César or Salazar comes to take him home. But there are few times when Rex just stares at Van Kleiss, his bright brown eyes shining with awe and wonder, and Van Kleiss finds himself caving in.

He lifts the little babe up in the air. He coos at the kid when no one's watching. He takes care of the baby because there's only so much that César can do. And before he knows it, Rex is a coherent, if not a rambunctious little child, with too much energy and way too much enthusiasm. And before he knows it, Rex tugs at his pant legs and demand to be told of the science behind the Nanite Project.

Before he knows it, he ends up half-raising the kid, always reinforcing the one belief he stubbornly refused to let go.

The Nanite Project is salvation.

* * *

"Uncle Van!" Rex shouts whenever he gets to the labs. "Uncle Van! You'll never believe what I learned in school today!"

Van Kleiss always finds it kind of odd that Rex never gets this excited when talking to Salazar or César. It's always whenever Rex spots Van Kleiss that his eyes will light up and he'll come running, waving his arms like a lunatic. And when Van Kleiss is sure that no one else can see it, he'll spare the little kid a rare smile that doesn't feel so rare now that Rex is in his life.

* * *

All they need is a test subject.

Rex, being the stupid brat he is, volunteers.

So why is it that the blame always falls on Van Kleiss?

* * *

The machinery whirls and cracks, and Van Kleiss realizes too belatedly that some of the calculations must be off. But it's not until Rex screams that he a fear dawns upon him that maybe, just maybe, he's going to kill Rex. And surprisingly, that's the thought that spurs him into action.

He remembers the panic. He remembers trying to stop the machine. He remembers the small explosion and being enveloped in that feeling of power. And it becomes reiterated once again. Power. The Nanite Project, after all, is all about salvation, and what is more powerful in the world than salvation?

The next thing he remembers is Salazar's and Rylander's ashen faces and the loud rings of sirens. He doesn't remember much in between. All he knows is that by the end of it all, the duo's left him behind the local hamburger joint, and Rex is in the ambulance, but who the hell cares about any of that? He's drunk on power that's promised by the Nanites. He laughs because this is wonderful. They've done it. They've figured it all out.

And then things go wrong.

Or perhaps it's more correct to say he realizes exactly what he's sacrificed in order to achieve it. Except that can't be true, because he is Van Kleiss. He doesn't do regret. So it has to be that the power that's humming through him that mutates and changes. Because suddenly, there's an acrid taste in his mouth. Suddenly, there's a sickening sensation inside of him, clawing at his insides. It churns and laughs at him for being so damned naïve, and Van Kleiss feels like he's swallowed a gallon of muck.

In the dark alley behind the local hamburger joint, Van Kleiss leans against the wall and heaves. The aftertaste of power still resonates within him, but it's no longer pure. It's tainted and changed, and it's _not_ what he's been aiming for at all.

That's when it first occurs to him. Power isn't the answer. Salvation doesn't mean squat. And he just almost sacrificed little Rex for the sake of what, exactly?

Van Kleiss rushes to the hospital to see Rex.

* * *

Salazar punches him. Rylander gives him a disappointed look. Then they both give him a rather well-rehearsed speech about the importance of human life and how as scientists they can't afford to think otherwise. Van Kleiss finds it ironic, because when is the last time these two talked to their family?

"Do you understand?" Rylander finishes.

"We need to stop this project," Van Kleiss concludes.

"No," Salazar says, slowly as if he's speaking to an invalid. "_You_ are going to stop working on this project."

"You don't understand, Rafael. The Nanite Project has to be stopped."

"And I don't think you understand, Van. The Nanite Project is salvation."

"That salvation is nothing but an illusion. I understand that now. You're going to rip your family apart. You're going to destroy everyone. You have to stop this project."

But they don't want to hear it. By the time Violeta arrives with César and Meechum, Van Kleiss understands that they're all going to shift all the blame to him. So before they forbid him from seeing Rex one last time, he sneaks away.

* * *

"Uncle Van!" Rex exclaims when he sees him. His arm is in a make-shift sling, and he looks like he's been pulled out of a burning building. His face darkens and his eyes water. "I'm sorry," the kid says, voice shaking. "I'm so sorry. I know how important this experiment was. I'm sorry that I messed it all up!"

And how screwed up is it that Rex blames himself for this? When in reality, it's the fault of his parents, fault of the adults around him, that put him here. Van Kleiss puts his hands on the boy's shoulders.

"Listen carefully to me, Rex," he says. "I was wrong. We were all wrong. The Nanite Project isn't the answer. Science isn't the answer."

"But you said...?"

"I know what I said, Rex. And I'm sorry, because I was wrong. And I'm sorry that you're here now. But... I think it'd be for the best that you just... forget what happened."

Rex gives him a blank look like he doesn't quite understand. Van Kleiss wishes that he had more time to explain to the kid. That this isn't Rex's fault. And it'll never be Rex's fault. And that he loves him and that Rex needs to be strong for a while, because Van Kleiss doesn't think they'll be able to see each other for a while. But then the doors open and César is there, his lips drawn back in a sneer at the sight of Van Kleiss.

And with a simple, "Just forget, Rex," Van Kleiss makes his way out of the building.

* * *

His life falls into a disarray afterwards. With simple words from the Salazar family, the science community turns their back to Van Kleiss. The very people that has accepted him and backed him no longer believe his motives pure. And it's all so damned funny because they're all going to end up alone, even Salazar (or perhaps he should say especially Salazar). And it burns him to the bone, because in the end, Rex is the one who's going to be hurt by it all. Rex is going to be the one who'll pay the price for his parents' mistakes.

Oddly enough, it's Peter Meechum that reaches out to him. He gives Van Kleiss a knowing look and says, "My daughter's school has an opening."

Van Kleiss surprises himself by agreeing. And they don't look back.

* * *

Being a biology teacher of the local high school is not the goal that he dreamed of when he was a child. He believed in power. He believed in science. He believed that he will achieve power as long as he focused on science. But he knows that that's not the truth anymore. But he stands in front of the class, talking about science that he knows is no longer salvation.

And before he knows it, students gather around him. At first, it's those who just want to avoid their home for private reasons. They're vague about it, but Van Kleiss doesn't mind. He understand what it means when they're pulling down the sweater sleeves, trying to hide the bruises and cuts. Then it's those who have trouble fitting in. And before he knows it, he's the most loved teacher in the school.

* * *

Rex is a middle schooler when they meet again. Van Kleiss doesn't realize that it's him until Rex yells, "Uncle Van!"

There's a friend by his side. A blonde who looks a little confused and terrified of being surrounded by high schoolers. But there's a confident grin on Rex's face. And he just rushes over laughing. "Uncle Van! Uncle Van! I haven't seen you in forever!"

It's a good feeling to see Rex again. It's even a better feeling to see that he has been growing well. And for a while, Van Kleiss tricks himself into believing that things will return to the way they were. That Rex will be the bright-eyed child following him through the labs, asking questions.

He doesn't see the next part coming.

* * *

Van Kleiss stays late that night, grading papers. With a stretch, he gets up and walks into his classroom and...

"... Rex?"

There are people that he's never seen before with strange masks on their faces. They're working with the lab equipments and Van Kleiss has a sinking feeling in his stomach. Rex looks up at the sound of his name and spots Van Kleiss.

"Oh, Uncle Van, did you stay late?" He rubs the back of his neck, sighing a little. Van Kleiss notices that the blonde friend is no where in sight.

"Rex... What's going on here? Who are these people? What are you doing?"

There's a serene smile on Rex's face that sends chills down Van Kleiss's back. And with a small shrug, Rex motions to the people around him. "Isn't it obvious? I'm making quick bucks."

"Are those...?"

Rex doesn't let him finish. He just nods, chuckling lightly. "Why do you look so surprised, Uncle? Isn't it only obvious that I do this?"

"No. It really isn't. Why are you-?"

"That's a boring question. You said so yourself, Uncle. Science is not the answer. So I thought about it long and hard. Then what can be the salvation? And I arrived on a simple conclusion. It's money. With money, you can do anything. With money, you can get away with everything."

"Don't be an idiot! You can't just use school equipment for things like this!"

"Why not? I have you, don't I?"

And it's not until then that Van Kleiss realizes his mistake. He has been too damned happy to see Rex back in his life. He didn't realize that the little Rex who followed him in the lab is no longer here. The Rex before him now is just like the power that he's felt after the Nanite Experiment went wrong. Tainted and wrong.

"There are video cameras set all around this school-"

"Oh please, like technology can stop me!" Rex laughs at that. Bright and happy, almost like he's a small kid again. "I command them."

"What are you talking about?"

"You should know more about it, Uncle. You're the one who gave it to me."

"... Are you saying the Nanite Project...?"

"Correct! In exchange for few memories here and there, I can command technology to do whatever I want. And don't even get me started on my healing abilities."

Van Kleiss goes quiet, taking this into consideration. All he remembers is that night behind the hamburger joint, and he wonders if the same taint he felt then has completely swallowed his little nephew. In exchange for the power that Van Kleiss has craved, Rex lost all sight of reality.

"Rex, you do realize I have to stop you, right?"

"But you won't," Rex says delightedly. "Under whose name do you think I'm doing all of this? The minute you even think about stopping me, I'll send an anonymous tip to the police. They're going to see your record, Uncle Van. And they're going to think that you're the one running the drug ring. After all, I'm just a little eighth grader and _you_ are the failure scientist."

"What happened to you for you to be like this? What do you need power for?"

There's a small pause as Rex looks honestly taken back by the questions. He tilts his head, considering. There's a dark look in his eyes and Van Kleiss just wonders what has happened in that small gap of time they haven't seen each other for Rex to change this much.

"I have the power, Uncle. What I need is money."

"But why?"

Rex doesn't answer. He just goes quiet and thoughtful. He doesn't address Van Kleiss for the rest of the night.

* * *

After that night, Van Kleiss keeps an extra eye out for Rex. He hates doing this, but he asks some of his students for help. And the things he hear frightens him.

"Hey Uncle Van!" Rex greets, waving when he spots the teacher. "Lend me the room tonight."

Van Kleiss feels a part of himself freeze. There's dread in the pit of his stomach, but he turns to greet Rex. Because another part of him still remembers the innocent eyes and the bright smile. He just wishes that this becomes easier.

* * *

"Why are you doing this?" Van Kleiss asks one night as he watches the masked strangers work. Rex is by his side, looking bored.

There's no answer as usual. Van Kleiss sighs a little and asks a different question. "Rex, how much more money can you possibly need?"

This time, Rex turns to face him. "Until it's enough to save her."

And that's all he'll say on the topic.

* * *

"... Sir?"

It's the blonde friend of Rex's. He's standing by the door to the class, biting his lips.

"... Yes...?"

"I'm Noah," he says. "I'm... I'm Rex's friend. It's just... Can I talk to you about Rex?"

* * *

"I mean... I always knew that he was a little weird. But... Recently, he's been... He's been kind of distant. He's always hanging out with this Asian and I've never heard anything good about _him_. And it's just... I know that people move on and that you need more than just one friend. But... I thought I was his _best friend_."

Van Kleiss listens to the complaints with a small frown. Because if Rex kept everything a secret from this guy, then doesn't that mean that there's hope? Because if Rex valued Noah's friendship enough to keep quiet about the drug ring... Then surely, _surely_, if Noah asked, Rex will turn back? Surely, there's a chance to save his little nephew?

"Come with me," he tells Noah. "Please, I think you might be the only one who can save Rex."

* * *

Van Kleiss wishes that there's an easier way. He really does. But Rex has taken a step in a strange direction and he just doesn't know how else to handle this. And now that everything's exploded in their faces, Van Kleiss feels a small twinge of regret. Because there should have been a better way to do this. There should have been a better way to confront Rex than to show up in the middle of his dealing.

And Rex stares at the two of them, betrayal bright in his eyes. "You called the cops?" he whispers, voice hoarse. Then more viciously aimed at Van Kleiss, "You brought _him_ here?"

"I'm right here, Rex. Don't talk like I'm not," Noah snaps. He walks forward, hesitating only by a fraction of a second. "What the hell? You're selling drugs? You're... making them? Why would you ever need to do this? You're Rex Salazar!"

"This is why I didn't say anything. You wouldn't get it."

"Then explain it to me! Rex, I'm your friend! I just-"

"Rex, we need to run!" And the Asian's there. It's the first time Van Kleiss meets him, and right away, he has a bad feeling about this guy. There's something off about him. Like he's a wild beast that cannot be tamed, and Rex is too close, much too close, and Van Kleiss just wants to protect him. The Asian glances at the two of them in a dismissive manner and turns to Rex, loyalty shining in his eyes (Van Kleiss is a little taken back by that. It's not something he expects from a wild beast). "The cops are everywhere. If we don't get out now, we're going to get caught."

Van Kleiss really believes that if they had more time, Noah would have gotten to Rex. But Rex takes a look at the Asian, and there's a sort of decision there. Like he's choosing something more important than running from the cops. He barely spares Van Kleiss and Noah another look before following after the Asian. There's only a small pause before he finally says (again, still not looking at them), "I want both of you out of my life."

And Rex Salazar leaves. Both physically and from their lives.

* * *

That's exactly why the table tennis tournament means so much to him. That's exactly why he felt so relieved when Rex tensed and admitted to having lost his memories. That's exactly why when he sees Rex and Noah laugh together, playing table tennis, he lets out the breath he's been holding.

Because it means that there's another chance. As long as the Rex now doesn't lose any more memories than what he has thus far (or regains his old ones), there's a chance.

And when the man in the green suit throws him down, looking down at him under the shades, Van Kleiss understands then. Rex is going to be fine. He's not too sure what's happened since that night of betrayal, but Rex has changed again. And he's not too sure what the man in green represents, but Van Kleiss thinks for sure that the taint won't harm his nephew again. This time, he's going to make sure of it.

"... Thanks, Uncle Van."

Van Kleiss feels like weeping with joy. Because maybe, just maybe, everything will finally be alright.


	17. Of Quarry and Consortium

Lies. This chapter ended up being a lot easier to write than I first gave credit for. My original estimate of chapters were a little off. And I think after this, there'll be two more chapters (not counting the interludes).

Warning: Gore and excessive violence.

* * *

"Quarry!" Rex shouts again, making a sharp turn.

But the man is nowhere to be seen. It's starting to annoy the crap out of him, because damn it, where can Quarry be? He was just here, running through and-

Rex runs into someone. The apology is on the tip of his tongue but before anything can be muttered, he feels someone grab him by the collar and throw him to the ground. It's only due to luck that he manages to land in a roll. He rolls and looks at the two people blocking the alleyway. One is holding a baseball bat, spinning it lightly in his hand. The other punches his hand, looking much too pleased with himself.

"What have we here?" the one with the bat drawls. "Rex Salazar without his guard dogs?"

It's annoying as hell, but Rex can deal with this. Sure, he's not as good as fighting humans as he is against EVOs, but he can do it. He stands back up, smirking darkly. They think they're going to get away with getting in his way?

But before anything can happen, a whirlwind of movement fills the alleyway. The one carrying the baseball bat goes flying against the wall. His face is smashed against it again and again, loud cracking sounds echoing through the alleyway. Until finally, his head bursts open like a watermelon. Then the one without the weapon is grabbed by the head and shoulder, and Rex can only watch in horror, as a simple twist cracks the neck, and he just drops to the ground. Silent.

It's all over in a matter of seconds and Rex is frozen. His legs won't stop shaking, and he feels ashamed, because he's seen worse things. He's experienced worse things. But then he realizes, no. He hasn't. He's never seen someone so ruthlessly kill people without hesitation. He's never seen anyone just so casually _do_ things like that. Or maybe he did, because once upon a time, he was the Lieutenant of the man standing as the sole victor of the one-sided massacre.

"... Quarry," Rex whispers.

The man turns to face him. And even though he's not an EVO anymore, Rex sees the resemblance. Because the man before him is all harsh edges and sharp lines. There's a collection of vibrant scars all around his upper right side of his head, and Rex wonders if that's why Quarry's head was so misshapen as a rock EVO.

After a beat of stillness, Quarry takes a step forward. And another. And another. Rex wants to run. He wants to bring up his fists and get ready for a fight. But all he hears in his mind's ears are Tuck's words of "_This is why you don't cross Quarry!"_ and his mind just replays the violent scene over and over again. Because how the hell is he supposed to fight against that?

Quarry raises his hand, and Rex closes his eyes, bracing for impact. Then a heavy hand lands on Rex's head with fond gentleness, and Rex just barely holds himself back from screaming, "Huh?!"

"Sorry," Quarry says, his voice soft despite the gruffness. "I know you hate excessive violence."

And just... What? What? Huh? What's going on?

Then Quarry removes the hand, turning away from Rex as if ashamed of showing his face. Is it the scars? But now is not the time to ask stupid questions. If he doesn't speak up now, he might miss this opportunity.

"I got rid of Providence."

Quarry turns to look at him, looking a little startled. He looks at Rex then carefully asks, "What made you change your mind?"

Rex remembers the diary's words. "_I found something I shouldn't have..._" He echoes it out loud for Quarry to hear, and maybe that's the wrong thing to do because Quarry's face darkens.

"Consortium," Quarry snarls.

And Rex is kind of glad that the anger isn't directed at him, but he's feeling confused again. As if noticing that, Quarry looks back at him, focusing.

"The guy in the green suit... He looks like he knows what he's doing."

"Six? Yeah. I mean... I guess...?"

Quarry frowns at the response. "Rex..." he says slowly. "Are you... How much memory did you lose this time?"

"How does everyone know that?!"

There's the smallest tug of smile on Quarry's face. Almost... fond. "You have a tell."

And how it is that these people know of his tell when he himself is meeting them for the first time is something Rex is just going to have to get used to. He makes a face, which only serve to widen Quarry's smile by a fraction. It's a strange look to see. Rex has seen Quarry smirk and laugh, but to actually see an honest to goodness smile?

"Is that why you shut down Providence?"

"No one should have that much power," Rex says automatically. And it surprises him how easy it is to talk to Quarry, of all people.

"Even if it's for the sake of saving her?"

"... 'Her?' You mean Circe?"

Quarry's smile falls completely. His eyes look alarmed and he takes a step towards Rex before hesitating. "You lost _her_?"

Whoever this "her" must be, she must be very important, judging by that reaction.

"Who's 'her?'"

"Maybe it's better this way," Quarry mumbles to himself, as if he doesn't hear Rex. "Without her, you would've had no reason to enter this side of the world. And since you used my name for everything else, no one knows to trace it back to you." Quarry smiles, and this time it looks sad. Like he's just finished reading a great story with a tragic ending. "This is for the best. Leave the clean up to me. Go live a normal life, Rex."

"Wait! Quarry! I'm not done-"

But Quarry's gone, running off with frightening speed. And there seems to be more questions than answers again.

* * *

Rex ends up walking back to the ice cream shop, pouting slightly. He considers listening to more of the diary, but he figures he's worried his family long enough. So he makes his way back, fighting against the itch to find out more about his elusive past.

And he freezes.

Because there are ambulances and police cars all around the ice cream shop. There are curious passersby who are snapping pictures of the scene. Part of the ice cream shop's glass windows are broken, and few of the customers look like they've been attacked.

"_Mijo?_ Is that you?"

Then César is there, reaching for him and holding tightly as if he never wants to let go. Then his mom is there and his dad, both grabbing hold of him as soon as César lets go with furious relief.

"Where have you been?" Violeta asks, her voice with an edge of hysteria. "We were so worried!"

"What happened here?"

"Never mind that, Rex. Answer your mother," Rafael tells him, his voice stern.

"I... Just took a little walk."

"After you shook me off. I thought you weren't going to run from me anymore," Six states, his voice flat as he walks towards them.

"Something came up... Anyways, what happened here?"

"It was your _friend_," Noah grumbles as he heads towards them. His head is bandaged, and now that Rex pays more attention, everyone look a little worse for wear. "Well, it wasn't just him, but he helped."

"... What are you talking about? Why would a friend...? Where are Tuck, Sqwydd, Circe, and Cricket?"

No one answers him. They just go silent and gives him a contemplating look and Rex doesn't like this at all.

"Rex Salazar?" Officer Calan asks, interrupting their group. "I need to ask you some questions. What is your relationship to a man called 'Quarry?'"

"I... I've never heard of him in my life," Rex says. It earns a sharp look from Six, but Rex doesn't care about that right now.

Calan raises a brow, clearly not believing him. "Alright, then what do you know about Providence?"

"It doesn't exist."

There's a small pause, Calan's face darkening. "You know, most people would answer that question as I don't know that word or defining the word. Those who doesn't know about that group wouldn't think to say that it doesn't exist."

Rex tenses.

"What the hell do you know about Quarry?" Calan demands again.

"Nothing."

"Stop being so stubborn! If you don't tell me, god knows how many more people are going to die!"

"... What are you talking about?"

Calan sighs a little and ignores the dark looks he's getting from the rest of the adults. "Rex Salazar, I have no idea how you're connected to all of this, but you're the only one who can get a hold of Quarry. You don't need to know all the details, but someone is targeting members of Providence."

"Targeting...?"

"As in killing," Calan says. Slowly. As if that'd make it easier to swallow.

"How many?"

"What?"

"How many people are dead?"

Calan goes silent for a second. Then he says, "Look, I'm sorry. I know this isn't something you want to hear, but we need to find Quarry and-"

"That's enough." Violeta and Rafael both steps in between the two, as if shielding Rex. And César steps forward and so does Six and it finally dawns on Rex exactly what it is that the adults are doing.

For once in his life, he's being protected.

But the thing is, he's Rex Salazar. The Weapon of Providence. He's the Cure. He doesn't need to be protected. He's always the one who protects. But if he stays here, they're going to coddle him. He can see that. And right now, he needs to find his friends.

Rex glances over and meets eyes with Noah. And as if Noah understands his feelings, he nods. Then the two take off, leaving the rest to the adults to argue.

* * *

"Okay," Noah says as they run through the streets. "What's the plan?"

"First, I need information. What happened back there?"

Noah hesitates a bit before finally telling him. "There was a small explosion," he says. "And there were these strange people. They asked for Quarry and when no one spoke up, they asked for you. Then your friend Tuck got violent. I thought he was going to stand against them, but instead he... he knocked out Circe and took her, saying something about how you'll give chase. The other two just followed him."

"That makes no sense. Why would Tuck...? Why would any of them...?"

"Hell if I know. I never liked that guy anyways."

Rex rolls his eyes. "That doesn't help me, Noah. I guess the next thing is who the strange people are..."

"They were in black and white uniforms," Noah adds. "With black masks."

... Providence? But that can't be. Providence is... Wait. What if the Providence that he ruled over is the Providence Defect Group? And the Consortium is the one who controls the agents that apparently just attacked the ice cream shop (and according to Calan, is targeting the rest of the Providence members)? That would mean that Black Knight is the enemy, as always, and he's going to have to stop the Consortium again.

"Rex? Buddy? Penny for your thoughts?"

"We need to take out the Consortium."

"... And how are we going to do that?"

Rex pulls out Gatlocke's business card. "I have my sources. Can I borrow your cell?"

* * *

"What?" Gatlocke snaps over the phone.

"This is Rex Salazar."

There's a small pause and Gatlocke's tone changes. "Hey kid, ready to tell me about Providence?"

"I'll tell you everything but in return, I need your help."

* * *

Noah glances around the small room in the abandoned factory. He makes a face at all the mess but doesn't say much about it. Instead, he just kicks back on the couch and says, "I see this place hasn't changed a bit."

"You know about this place?"

"Dude, I helped you find it!" Noah sounds a little offended, but he doesn't seem to be holding it against Rex. "Jeesh, you must've really lost a lot of memory this time, huh?"

Then the curtains are parted but the one who walks in isn't Gatlocke. Instead, it's Breach. Then Skalamander. Then Biowulf.

"What are you guys doing here?" Rex demands, feeling a little alarmed.

"We heard what happened in the ice cream shop," Biowulf said, looking a little disgusted with himself for being here. "Van Kleiss was worried. He asked us to lend you our hands."

"But why would-"

"I keep telling you, it's because he's your Uncle!" Noah snaps, almost as if he's personally insulted by Rex's question.

The curtains part again, and this time Gatlocke's there. He glances around at the teens gathered there and makes a face. "Great. It's like I'm back in kindergarten."

* * *

"Oh no, kid. I'm not helping until you tell me about Providence," Gatlocke says with a shark-like grin.

"Well, too bad, Gatlocke. Because I'm not planning on saying anything until my friends are back, safe and sound."

The two look at each other, neither of them refusing to budge. And as much as Rex will love to just spend the rest of their time glaring at each other, they don't have the time for that. If Noah is right and Tuck and them took Circe to the guys who want to find Quarry and him... Damn it all, why is it that every time he's close to finding answers, he ends up taking two steps back?

"What about this? I'll give you my diary until my friends are back," Rex concludes. He takes out the diary and holds it out for Gatlocke to take. "It has all the answers, Gatlocke. Everything that you wanted to know about Providence is in there."

"And why should I trust you?"

"Because after my friends are back, I want my diary back. And I'll tell you everything you want to hear."

Gatlocke frowns. "I don't like this."

"It's the only deal you're going to get. Don't tell me you've suddenly become a bad businessman?"

"Oh, you just know which buttons to push, don't you, kid? Fine. I'll help."

* * *

"Everyone knows what they're doing?" Rex asks, looking at the makeshift group that he's gathered.

"If you dare repeat the plan again, I'm going to rip you apart," Biowulf growls.

"We're good," Breach and Skalamander both adds.

"Everything's set on my end," Gatlocke assures them over the comms.

Rex takes a deep breath. "I'm working with the Pack to hack into the Consortium," he mumbles lowly. "Strange how this world turned out."

Noah gives Rex's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "We'll make it through this."

"Obviously. Don't you know who I am? I'm Rex Salazar."

And with that, they charge forward to the lab.


End file.
